In this second interview of Women Leaders in Technology, I have the pleasure of welcoming Ofelia Tejerina, an outstanding Spanish lawyer specializing in technology law, also known as legal tech, and one of the most respected voices in Spain regarding digital rights, privacy, cybersecurity, and Internet governance. From the legal battlefield, she fights for a fair web for everyone, not a web for the rich and the poor. She specializes in topics such as net neutrality, freedom of expression, and users’ digital rights. You can find her sharing her knowledge at universities and national and international forums. Among her many roles, she stands out as the President of the Internet Users Association of Spain. Let us remember the motto of this entity: Together for an open, accessible, trustworthy, fair, supportive, free, and secure internet.
In these minutes of the interview, she shares with us her vision on net neutrality, of which she says, and I quote:
“When we defend net neutrality, what we are really defending is access to network content with standard quality and at a reasonable price. In other words, we are somehow talking about the right to access the Internet. This has even been established as a fundamental right in some parts of the world. In Spain, it is considered a socio-economic right and is included in the Charter of Digital Rights I mentioned earlier, which states that we all should be able to access the Internet because it is the way to access universal knowledge, to stay up to date, and to know what is happening in the world.”
“And that has to be democratized; there must be management, governance of the network that allows all citizens of the world to access that content and that it doesn’t depend, for example, on your economic level. If you have money, you’ll access content with a certain quality. You’ll access certain portals that providers offer in exchange for a price.”
“Well, all of that is what we must fight against—being limited based on our education or our financial resources. A large portion of taxes, a large portion of public resources, must be dedicated to ensuring that citizens have this access because the Spanish Constitution says that public authorities must promote conditions of social and economic equality, and without access to the Internet today, that would be impossible.”
“Therefore, it’s obvious that we need net neutrality. We cannot give in to the voracity of telecommunications providers, including both platforms and telecom companies. Telefónica or Vodafone, just like Amazon or Google, must fully and continuously collaborate with the need to provide us with services and content in a way… that allows society to be educated, to be aware of what is happening around it.”
During the interview, she shares a wealth of information, including some of her “unpopular opinions,” as she calls them, on issues such as mobile phone use in schools or the apathy found in the courts. From a personal perspective, she also shares one of her strategies for progressing quickly in a male-dominated sector and how she saw results from one day to the next.
In a world where technology advances faster than regulation and where large platforms concentrate unprecedented power, topics such as digital rights are essential, as is the need to educate ourselves so we can own the technology and not become its slaves. We continue to work for a neutral and open web, and for that, we count on people like Ofelia Tejerina.
Before diving into the interview, take a moment to explore her incredible curriculum vitae.
Biography: Ofelia Tejerina
Education:
- Lawyer, Master’s in IT Law
- Law Degree. Master’s in IT Law (UCM).
- PhD in Constitutional Law – Privacy and Technologies (UCM)
- Doctoral Candidate in the program Business and Territorial Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability (CETIS), Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Universidad Pontificia Comillas – ICADE. International Doctoral School.
Professional Development:
- President of the Internet Users Association of Spain.
- Member of the advisory board of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) and professor at various universities and postgraduate programs focused on digital law.
- Regular collaborator with public and private entities aimed at raising awareness about the responsible use of technology, such as Pantallas Amigas.
- Professor at several Spanish universities, including Universidad Pontificia Comillas and Rey Juan Carlos University.
She is the author of:
BOOKS:
- “State Security and Privacy” (Author). Ed. REUS (2014);
- “Legal Aspects of Cybersecurity” (Coordinator). Ed. RaMa (2020)
CHAPTERS in:
- “Cryptocurrencies. Regulatory Challenges and Issues.” (Co-author). Ed. Wolters Kluwer (2021);
- “New Cybersecurity Challenges in a Changing Context” (2019) Aranzadi;
- “Digital Society and Law” (2019) BOE;
- “The New Regulatory Framework Derived from the Data Protection Regulation” (2018) Wolters Kluwer;
- “General Data Protection Regulation.” Reus (2017);
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
- “Net Neutrality: Change and Shortcomings”, RDU, Journal of Privacy and Digital Law (2018)
- “The European Data Protection Regulation from the Consumer’s Perspective.” CGAE Journal (2016);
- “The Right to Be Forgotten on the Internet.” Tribuna Complutense Journal. Complutense University of Madrid. Vol. 119 (2010);
- “SITEL: Uncontrolled Software.” Bitácora Journal. Official College of Computer Engineers of the Valencian Community. Vol. 53 (2010).
Awards:
- CONFILEGAL 2018 Award in the “LegalTech” category.
- Shared “Best Practices” Award from the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD), 2019.
- ENATIC 2021 Award for Best Digital Lawyer. Association of Information and Communications Technology Lawyers.
- Raúl Jover 2025 Award for Career and Commitment, awarded by RootedCon.
