The Global Network Initiative is a coalition of information and communications companies major human rights organizations academics investors and technology leaders to produce guidance and oversight for companies facing civil liberties challenges in the ICT industries. EFF participated in the process from its inception providing technical and policy advice together with other NGO in the human rights sector.

EFF left the GNI in 2013, after NSA revelations showed that GNI's corporate members had been blocked from sharing crucial information with its coalition members about how the US government has meddled with these companies' security practices through programs such as PRISM and BULLRUN.