H. de Zwart (Hans)

Hans de Zwart is a researcher and lecturer at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. As a philosopher, he focuses on the ethics and philosophy of technology. He is one of the founders and sits on the board of the Racism and Technology Center, and is a member of the board of directors of the Center for the Advancement of Infrastructural Imagination (CAII).

Earlier, Hans was the Executive Director of the Dutch digital civil rights organisation Bits of Freedom, fighting for freedom of communication and privacy on the internet. In the past he was Shell’s Senior Innovation Adviser for Global HR and Learning Technologies, before that a Moodle consultant for Stoas Learning and he started his career as a Physical Education teacher at a high school in Amsterdam.

He operates on the intersection between technology (which he prefers to be “open”) and society, often viewing issues through a civil rights or public good lens. He knows that technology is always political, dislikes intellectual property, and believes in the power of design.

You can always come and talk to him about: the most recent book you have read, juggling, philosophy, free software, dominoes, or The Big Lebowski (for which he made the definitive search engine).

He is his own sysadmin, reads in public, and writes an occasional newsletter.