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Live Online Conference
Cato Surveillance Conference 2021
Americans in the age of COVID-19 are relying more than ever on digital networks to work, socialize, and learn—which makes safeguarding the privacy and security of those networks even more essential. The 2021 Cato Surveillance Conference brings together an outstanding lineup of academics, technologists, policymakers, and privacy advocates to discuss the most pressing topics in privacy and digital civil liberties, kicking off with a keynote address from Sen. Ron Wyden (D‑OR). Speakers will examine how the “surveillance-industrial complex” is increasingly outsourcing surveillance that used to be the exclusive province of intelligence agencies to a burgeoning private surveillance industry. We’ll look at how a year of virtual classrooms has given rise to a disturbing trend of schools employing spyware to monitor students. We’ll explore how anonymity—increasingly the scapegoat for everything toxic about online culture—is crucial to free speech and a vibrant culture of dissent. And we’ll demonstrate just how vulnerable the ubiquitous “Internet of Things” makes us with a live hacking demonstration. Join us live online, streaming from the Cato Institute.
Schedule
9:00 - 9:05 AM
9:05 - 9:30 AM
Opening Keynote: The Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale
Senator Ron Wyden (D‑OR)
9:30 - 10:45 AM
Panel — The Surveillance Industrial Complex
Kashmir Hill, Technology Reporter, New York Times
Dana Priest, Investigative Reporter, Washington Post
Thomas Rid, Professor of Strategic Studies, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Moderated by Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
10:45 - 11:00 AM
Morning Break
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Flash Talks
Julie Mao, Deputy Director, Just Futures Law
Surveillance at School
Elizabeth Laird, Director, Equity in Civic Technology, Center for Democracy and Technology
Clearview AI: Lessons Learned over the Last Two Years for the Future of Privacy
Freddy Martinez, Policy Analyst, Open the Government
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 - 2:15 PM
Panel — Anonymity and Freedom
Jeff Kosseff, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity Law, United States Naval Academy
Afsaneh Rigot, Fellow, Technology and Public Purpose Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
2:15 - 2:30 PM
Afternoon Break
2:30 - 3:00 PM
Internet of Things Hacking Demo
Beau Woods, Cyber Safety & Innovation Fellow, Atlantic Council
Deral Heiland, Principal Security Research, Rapid7
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Flash Talks
Beryl Lipton, Investigative Researcher, Electronic Frontier Foundation
FOIA, FISA Surveillance, and (Maybe) You
Patrick Eddington, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Lauren Sarkesian, Senior Policy Counsel, Open Technology Institute, New America
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