The Anti-Defamation League has hired Brittan Heller, an expert in cyber harassment and hate speech, as its first national director of technology and society. She will be based in Palo Alto.

Brittan Heller photo/jta-adl

Heller will work in partnership with tech companies and law enforcement to reduce online anti-Semitism and bigotry, and to ensure justice and fair treatment to all in online environments, the ADL said in a news release.

“As the use of social media and technology to marginalize Jews and other communities increases, Brittan’s new role is at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry,” said ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt. “She has incredible experience on these issues, and will help us expand our work with technology companies, scholars and advocates to convene and discuss new and better ways to attack online hate.”

A graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, Heller investigated and prosecuted cybercrime and human rights violations at the Department of Justice and the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Earlier this year, ADL formed a task force to address anti-Semitic and racist harassment of journalists on social media.