More than 50 years since the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) was enacted, the law remains one of the most invasive from a personal privacy standpoint. The financial transaction reports generated by the BSA’s mandate number in the tens of millions annually, and the transaction amount that can trigger such surveillance and reporting is relatively modest by current standards. And if one of your financial transactions triggers a BSA-related alert from your bank to federal law enforcement, you’ll likely never learn of it—unless federal agents arrive at your business or home to question you.

How effective has the BSA actually been in detecting or deterring financial crimes? What has it cost us in Fourth Amendment terms? And are there alternatives that fight financial crime without violating constitutional rights? Our panelists don’t agree on all the answers—they span the spectrum from reforming the BSA to repealing it—and they’ll tackle these questions and others in what promises to be a lively debate.