Shannon Friel is a writer, researcher, and current master's candidate in the Davis Center's REECA program. In 2024, she graduated with a B.A. in linguistics and a minor in Russian from Swarthmore College. Since December 2022, she has contributed weekly to Russian Life magazine. During her tenure at the publication, she covered how Russia's internet and mass media regulatory agency, Roskomnadzor, further isolated the country's cyberspace and censored dissent. At Harvard, Friel will research how Russia legislates its internet and the effects of state regulations on the country's public life.
Last updated August 2026.