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Conference

The 2014 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference

Date and Time
December 12, 2014 9:30 AM - 8 PM EST
Location
Hayek Auditorium
Featuring

Never in human history have people been more connected than they are today — nor have they been more thoroughly monitored. Over the past year, the disclosures spurred by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden have drawn public attention to the stunning surveillance capabilities of the American intelligence community, and the unprecedented volume of data they collect from hundreds of millions of people around the world. But the growth of government surveillance is by no means restricted to spies: Even ordinary law enforcement agencies increasingly employ sophisticated tracking technologies, from face recognition software to “Stingray” devices that can locate suspects by sniffing out their cellular phone signals. Are these tools a vital weapon against criminals and terrorists — or a threat to privacy and freedom? How should these tracking technologies be regulated by the Fourth Amendment and federal law? Can we reconcile the secrecy that spying demands with the transparency that democratic accountability requires?

This inaugural Cato Institute Surveillance Conference will explore these questions, guided by a diverse array of experts: top journalists and privacy advocates; lawyers and technologists; intelligence officials … and those who’ve been targets of surveillance. And for the more practically minded, a special Crypto Reception, following the Conference, will teach attendees how to use privacy‐​enhancing technologies to secure their own communications.

8:30–8:45 a.m. Introduction

Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
8:45–9:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)

9:15–10:30 a.m.

Panel 1: INTERNATIONAL SURVEILLANCE: FISA §702 & Executive Order 12333

Moderator: Charlie Savage, Washington Correspondent, New York Times
John Napier Tye, Former Section Chief for Internet Freedom, State Department
Marcy Wheeler, Writer, Emp​ty​wheel​.net
Laura Donohue, Director, Georgetown University Center on National Security & the Law
Alex Joel, Civil Liberties Officer, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institution

10:30 – 10:40 a.m. Break
10:40 –11:55 a.m.

Panel 2: DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE: Law Enforcement in the Digital Age

Moderator: Jack Gillum, Associated Press
Faisal Gill, Attorney & Surveillance Target
Orin Kerr, Professor of Law, George Washington University
Harley Geiger, Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel, Center for Democracy & Technology
Chris Soghoian, Principal Technologist and Senior Policy Analyst, American Civil Liberties Union
Patrick G. Eddington, Policy Analyst, Homeland Security and Civil Liberties, Cato Institute

12:00 -1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 -1:40 p.m.

Eric E. Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google

in conversation with
Craig Timberg, National Technology Reporter, Washington Post

1:45–3:00 p.m.

Panel 3: OVERSEEING SURVEILLANCE: Secrecy, Transparency, and Accountability

Moderator: Siobhan Gorman, Wall Street Journal
Robert S. Litt, General Counsel, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Katherine Hawkins, National Security Fellow, Open the Government
Steve Aftergood, Director, Project on Government Secrecy, Federation of American Scientists
Sharon Bradford Franklin, Executive Director, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
J. Kirk Wiebe, Former Senior Analyst, National Security Agency

3:00–4:15 p.m.

Panel 4: LIMITING SURVEILLANCE: Congress, the Courts, and Technology

Moderator: Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post
Elizabeth “Liza” Goitein, Co‐​Director, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice
Matthew Green, Research Professor of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University
Kurt Opsahl, Deputy General Counsel, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Lara M. Flint, Chief Counsel for National Security, Senate Judiciary Committee
Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security, Google

4:15–4:30 p.m. Break
4:30–5:30 p.m.

Closing Session

Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Julia Angwin, ProPublica; author of Dragnet Nation
Edward Snowden, Former NSA Contractor

5:30–7:00 p.m. Special Post‐​Event: Crypto Reception

Wine, cheese, and a hands‐​on opportunity to learn about installing and using privacy‐​protecting technologies for encrypted email, encrypted chat, and anonymous web browsing. Presenters include:
Amie Stepanovich, Senior Policy Counsel, Access
Matthew Green, Research Professor of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University
Lindsay Beck, Program Manager, Open Technology Fund
Griffin Boyce, Hacker & Security Researcher
Joe Hall, Chief Technologist, Center for Democracy and Technology
Karen Reilly, Development Director, Tor Project