K. A. (Kim) Taipale is an American investor, legal scholar, and social theorist specializing in information, technology, and national security policy. He is a partner in Stilwell Holding, a private investment firm, and the former chairman of the executive committee of Kobra International Ltd. He is also the founder and executive director of the Stilwell Center for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology Policy, a private, nonpartisan research organization, and a director of the Stilwell Charitable Fund. He was previously an investment banker at Lazard Freres & Co. and a lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell.
Taipale currently also serves on the advisory board of The Common Good,[1] and previously served on the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age,[2] the advisory council at the World Policy Institute,[3] the Science and Engineering for National Security Advisory Board of The Heritage Foundation, the LexisNexis Information Policy Forum; and the Steering Committee of the American Law Institute's digital information privacy project. In addition, he has served on several corporate and non-profit boards.
Taipale is a frequent speaker and has written extensively on the intersection of information and technology policy with national and global security interests. He has advised senior policy makers in government and the private sector, and testified before Congressional and other national committees, including on issues relating to foreign intelligence surveillance,[4][5] data mining,[6][7] biometrics,[8] and information warfare.[9] Taipale is a nationally recognized expert on technology and security policy, and related issues, including privacy and civil liberties. He is regularly quoted in the media,[10] and has appeared frequently on PBS and NPR.[11]
Taipale received a BA and JD from New York University and an MA, EdM, and LLM from Columbia University.