Amelie De Leon

Amelie Ortiz De Leon is a second-year MPA student at Columbia SIPA, concentrating in Technology Policy and Innovation. She is passionate about platform regulation, trust and safety, and online speech governance. Her interest in technology policy began in the Philippines, where she worked as a journalist at Rappler and witnessed firsthand how disinformation and online abuse could be weaponized to silence dissent. That experience sparked a lasting commitment to building digital systems that proactively protect users while safeguarding freedom of expression.

Amelie has worked across the tech policy ecosystem, bringing a global, rights-based lens to her roles. As a global public policy and human rights intern at Yahoo, she internally developed a “safety by design” framework that integrated child safety, data privacy, and user protection across Yahoo’s product verticals. She also contributed to Yahoo’s human rights company report for the Global Network Initiative. At NBCUniversal, she supported the government affairs team by tracking over 150 pieces of state legislation related to consumer protection and platform regulation, helping guide the team’s strategic advocacy.

Amelie has also held research and editorial roles at Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where she explored topics at the intersection of digital rights, Southeast Asian politics, and US foreign policy.

At IGP, Amelie brings experience that bridges journalism, research, and policy advocacy, with a particular focus on how digital governance can reflect international human rights standards. As a Student Scholar, she hopes to continue her advocacy by continuing to explore child safety regulations, algorithmic accountability, and equitable design frameworks. In her free time, she enjoys exploring New York’s bookstores, live music venues, or going on long runs in Central Park.