About
Our mission is to protect human rights and civil liberties online.
Social media companies erode basic human rights and civil liberties by enabling the spread of online hate and disinformation.
Social Media companies deny the problem, deflect the blame, and delay taking responsibility.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate holds them accountable and responsible for their business choices by highlighting their failures, educating the public, and advocating change from platforms and governments to protect our communities.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate works to stop the spread of online hate and disinformation through innovative research, public campaigns and policy advocacy.
Here’s how CCDH delivers change:
- Through research, we expose the producers and spreaders of hate and disinformation, and demonstrate the offline consequences.
- Through campaigns, we galvanize support from the public and advertisers to pressure social media companies and tech platforms to reform.
- Through communications, we shape the debate to educate the public and key stakeholders about online harms.
- Through policy and partnerships, we persuade policymakers and collaborate with civil society leaders to demand reform of social media.
Our Theory of Change
Social media platforms have changed the way we communicate, build and maintain relationships, set social standards, and negotiate and assert our society’s values. In the process, they have become safe spaces for the spread of hate, conspiracy theories and disinformation.
At CCDH, we have developed a deep understanding of the online harm landscape, showing how easily hate actors and disinformation spreaders exploit the digital platforms and search engines that promote and profit from their content.
We have demonstrated how social media algorithms – with a systematic bias towards hate and misinformation – pose real-life harms to marginalized communities, minors and democracy more broadly.
The failure of social media companies to act on known harmful and extremist content is a violation of their own terms and conditions, the pledges they make in the media and to governments, and their basic duty to their users.
We all have a right to exist safely online and in our communities. At CCDH, we are fighting for better online spaces that promote truth, democracy, and are safe for all. Our goal is to increase the economic and reputational costs for the platforms that facilitate the spread of hate and disinformation.
In 2022 we developed the STAR framework to give policymakers around the world values-based principles for regulating social media:
- Safety by design: ensuring social media products are safe for the public prior to launch.
- Transparency around platform algorithms, rule enforcement and advertising.
- Accountability to democratic and independent bodies.
- Responsibility for companies and senior executives for omissions that lead to harm.
But real change requires moving beyond articulating principles. In order to achieve our mission of a reformed information system which promotes truth, science and democracy, we must work together with civil society, experts, leaders of social movements, and decision-makers globally in this fight.
Our leadership team
CCDH US and UK employ a large team of people who collaborate together to fulfill the shared mission of both organizations. Staff members of both organizations are experts in their fields and have a range of diverse backgrounds from the public sector, NGO’s and the media. CCDH US and CCDH UK share a CEO, and the Leadership Team, comprised of employees of both organizations, reports to the CEO.
-
Imran Ahmed
Chief Executive Officer
Imran Ahmed is the founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), leading efforts to hold social media and AI companies accountable when their systems harm children and undermine our shared civic life. A recognized authority on the social and psychological impacts of digital platforms and the manipulation of our information environment, he regularly appears in the media and in documentaries and advises policymakers on common-sense safeguards that put people first.
-
Callum Hood
Head of Research
Callum Hood is Head of Research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate where he leads a global team investigating online hate and misinformation. He is responsible for the Center’s reports, including those exposing the deadly anti-vaxx industry and other malignant online actors, and how social media companies profit from disinformation on their platforms. Callum is based in the UK and employed by CCDH UK.
-
Jemma Levene
Chief Operating Officer
Jemma Levene is Chief Operating Officer at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, running the engine room that maximizes the organization’s impact. She leads the operations, development, finance and HR teams for the organization. Prior to joining CCDH, Jemma was Deputy Director at HOPE Not Hate, and before that worked for non-profits in the UK and USA. She holds an MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh, and is a graduate of the Susi Bradfield Educational Leadership Programme and the Senior Faith Leadership Programme. She is a Trustee of University Jewish Chaplaincy. Jemma is based in the UK and employed by CCDH UK.
-
Sarah O’Quinn
US Director of Public Affairs
Sarah O’Quinn, JD, is the U.S. Director of Public Affairs at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, where she leads the organization’s government relations, legislative strategy, and advocacy work in the United States.
Before joining CCDH, Sarah led government relations for the Directors Guild of America and previously served as an attorney and Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy at the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Earlier in her career, she was a Fellow at the Copyright Alliance in Washington, D.C., where she focused on internet accountability policy, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Cybaris: An Intellectual Property Law Review.
Sarah holds a JD from William Mitchell College of Law and a BA in Political Science and Theater from the College of Saint Benedict.
-
Laura Kaun
Head of Public Affairs
Laura Kaun is the Head of Public Affairs at the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), where she leads the organisation’s policy and partnerships work across the EU and UK. She shapes and drives CCDH’s strategy on online safety, regulatory reform, and public affairs, building coalitions and advancing impactful solutions to hold digital platforms accountable.
Prior to joining CCDH, Laura served as Policy and Campaigns Director at the European Women’s Lobby, where she championed gender equality and women’s rights across Europe. She previously worked as a policy advisor in the European Parliament, where she developed expertise in legislative processes and cross-border advocacy.
Laura holds an MA in Gender, Intersectionality and Politics from the Free University of Berlin (Germany) and a BA in Political Science and English Language and Literature from the University of Trier (Germany). Her career reflects a strong commitment to justice, equality, and systemic change, grounded in both deep policy knowledge and strategic leadership.
-
Our funders
The Center for Countering Digital Hate is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization (NGO) that is funded by philanthropic trusts and members of the public. If you or your organization wish to help fund our cause, please contact us.