Live Online Conference # Cato Surveillance Conference 2021 Date and Time December 14, 2021 9 AM - 4 PM EST Location Live Online Share This Event 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 **Welcome and Introduction** [Julian Sanchez](https://cato.org/people/julian-sanchez), Senior Fellow, Cato Institute 9:05 - 9:30 AM **Opening Keynote: The Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale** [Senator Ron Wyden](https://www.wyden.senate.gov/) (D‑OR) 9:30 - 10:45 AM **Panel — The Surveillance Industrial Complex** [Kashmir Hill](https://www.nytimes.com/by/kashmir-hill), Technology Reporter, *New York Times* [Dana Priest](https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dana-priest/), Investigative Reporter, *Washington Post* [Thomas Rid](https://sais.jhu.edu/users/trid2), Professor of Strategic Studies, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Moderated by [Julian Sanchez](https://cato.org/people/julian-sanchez), Senior Fellow, Cato Institute 10:45 - 11:00 AM **Morning Break** 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM **Flash Talks** [Targeted but Not Silenced: Government Surveillance and Retaliation against Immigration Organizers in the United States](https://www.flipsnack.com/justfutures/targeted-but-not-silenced/full-view.html) [Julie Mao](https://justfutureslaw.org/julie-mao/), Deputy Director, Just Futures Law --- **Surveillance at School** [Elizabeth Laird](https://cdt.org/staff/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](https://www.openthegovernment.org/who-we-are/), Policy Analyst, Open the Government 12:00 - 1:00 PM **Lunch** 1:00 - 2:15 PM **Panel — Anonymity and Freedom** [Jeff Kosseff](https://www.usna.edu/CyberCenter/People/Biographies/Kosseffbio.php), Associate Professor of Cybersecurity Law, United States Naval Academy [Afsaneh Rigot](https://www.belfercenter.org/person/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](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/beau-woods/), Cyber Safety & Innovation Fellow, Atlantic Council [Deral Heiland](https://www.rapid7.com/blog/author/deral-heiland/), Principal Security Research, Rapid7 3:00 - 4:00 PM **Flash Talks** [The Atlas of Surveillance](https://atlasofsurveillance.org/) [Beryl Lipton](https://www.eff.org/about/staff/beryl-lipton), Investigative Researcher, Electronic Frontier Foundation --- **FOIA, FISA Surveillance, and (Maybe) You** [Patrick Eddington](https://www.cato.org/people/patrick-g-eddington), Senior Fellow, Cato Institute --- [Strengthening Surveillance Safeguards after Schrems II](https://www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/strengthening-surveillance-safeguards-after-schrems-ii/) [Lauren Sarkesian](https://www.newamerica.org/our-people/lauren-sarkesian/), Senior Policy Counsel, Open Technology Institute, New America [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).