Eva Galperin

Early Life

Galperin was born in Latvia to Jewish parents who fled Soviet antisemitism and sought refuge in the United States. Her family resettled in California in the 1980s. Her interest in computers developed at an early age, largely through the influence of her father, who worked as a computer security specialist. At age 12, he set up a desktop environment for her on his Unix/Solaris computer, through which she became active in Usenet discussion groups focused on science fiction novels and interactive text games. She later expanded her interests into web development.

Education and Early Career

Galperin attended San Francisco State University, where she studied political science and international relations. While pursuing her degree, she worked as a Unix system administrator at various companies in Silicon Valley. Before joining the EFF, she worked at the Center for US–China Policy Studies, where she helped organize conferences and conducted research on Chinese energy policy.

Career at the EFF

Galperin joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2007. Over the following decade, she took on increasing responsibility within the organization, leading the Threat Lab project before being promoted to Director of Cybersecurity in 2017. In that role, she has focused on threats to journalists, activists, and vulnerable populations around the world, with particular attention to malware and spyware deployed by nation-state actors.

She also serves as a technical advisor for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, extending her work in support of press freedom and the protection of journalists operating in high-risk environments.

Stalkerware Campaign

Beginning in 2018, Galperin directed significant attention toward the stalkerware industry — a category of spyware applications covertly installed on mobile devices and marketed to abusive spouses, controlling parents, and stalkers. These applications enable their operators to monitor a target's activities without the target's knowledge or consent. Galperin has worked directly with victims of stalkerware as part of her broader effort to dismantle the industry.

In April 2019, she successfully persuaded Kaspersky Lab to update its Android security product to explicitly alert users upon detection of stalkerware, marking a notable shift in how a major antivirus provider classified and responded to such threats. She also called on Apple to permit antivirus applications in its marketplace and to alert users if their devices had been jailbroken or rooted. Galperin argued that competitive pressure within the cybersecurity industry would compel other companies to adopt similarly heightened standards.

Beyond the private sector, Galperin has called on state and federal officials in the United States to arrest and prosecute executives of companies that develop and sell stalkerware, framing such activity as a violation of hacking laws.

Recognition and Legacy

Galperin is recognized as a leading voice in the intersection of cybersecurity, civil liberties, and the protection of at-risk communities. Her work at the EFF has helped shape public and industry understanding of how surveillance tools — whether deployed by governments or abusive individuals — threaten privacy and personal safety. Her advocacy around stalkerware in particular has contributed to measurable changes in how the cybersecurity industry identifies and responds to this category of threat.