It has been a dizzying year in the world of surveillance: In June, nearly two years after Edward Snowden shocked the world with unprecedented leaks revealing the scope of National Security Agency spying, Congress moved to limit the bulk collection of domestic communications data via the USA FREEDOM Act — first introduced at a Cato conference in 2013 — but how much privacy protection will the law’s reforms truly provide?
Meanwhile, courts and policymakers struggle to keep up with a rapidly evolving array of high-tech threats to privacy, each posing difficult policy questions. Should encryption technologies be engineered to include back doors for government, as some law enforcement officials have proposed? How should companies respond to ever-growing demands for user data on a borderless Internet — and what consequences will the answer hold for America’s technology sector and global freedom? What tools can individuals rely on to protect themselves from intrusive states and malicious hackers? Does cybersecurity require sharing ever more information with government? Are new laws required to regulate the increasing use of cell phone location tracking by police?
The Cato Institute’s Second Annual Surveillance Conference will explore these questions and more with the top scholars, litigators, intelligence officials, activists, and technologists working at the intersection of privacy, technology, and national security.
9:00 – 9:05AM |
Welcome and Introduction Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
9:05 – 10:05AM |
After FREEDOM: A Dialogue on NSA in the Post-Snowden Era Kurt Opsahl, General Counsel & Deputy Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation Rebecca Richards, Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer, National Security Agency Moderated by Charlie Savage, National Reporter, New York Times |
10:05 – 10:15AM |
Economic Benefits of Encryption Ryan Hagemann, Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center |
10:15 – 10:25AM |
Ciphertext Rots: Towards Guidelines for Retention & Analysis of Encrypted Data Joseph Lorenzo Hall, Chief Technologist, Center for Democracy and Technology |
10:25 – 10:45AM |
Download video of Economic Benefits of Encryption, Ciphertext Rots IP-Based Communications & the Content/Metadata Distinction Download podcast of Economic Benefits of Encryption, Ciphertext Rots IP-Based Communications & the Content/Metadata Distinction IP-Based Communications & the Content/Metadata Distinction Steve Bellovin, Professor, Columbia University Stephanie Pell, Professor, West Point Military Academy |
10:45 – 11:00AM | Break |
11:00AM – 12:00PM |
Watching the Watchmen: The Privacy & Civil Liberties Oversight Board David Medine, Chairman, PCLOB Judge Patricia Wald, Member, PCLOB Moderated by Jenna McLaughlin, Reporter, The Intercept |
12:00 – 12:30PM |
Luncheon Keynote Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont |
12:30 – 1:30PM | Lunch |
1:30 – 2:30PM |
Download video of National Surveillance Laws on a Borderless Network Download podcast of National Surveillance Laws on a Borderless Network National Surveillance Laws on a Borderless Network Jennifer Daskal, Professor, American University Washington College of Law Christopher Hopfensperger, Technology Policy Counsel, Business Software Alliance Orin Kerr, Professor, George Washington University Matthew Perault, Head of Global Policy Development, Facebook Moderated by Patrick Eddington, Policy Analyst, Cato Institute |
2:30 – 2:50PM |
The State of Global Surveillance Amie Stepanovich, U.S. Policy Manager, Access |
2:50 – 3:10PM |
Return of the General Warrant Laura Donohue, Director, Center on National Security and the Law, Georgetown University Law School |
3:10 – 3:30PM |
Surveilling Terrorists: Assessing the Costs and Benefits John Mueller, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute and Senior Research Scientist, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, Ohio State University |
3:30 – 3:45PM |
Download video of The State of Global Surveillance, Return of the General Warrant, Surveilling Terrorists: Assessing the Costs and Benefits, and Smartening up Congress about National Security Download podcast of The State of Global Surveillance, Return of the General Warrant, Surveilling Terrorists: Assessing the Costs and Benefits, and Smartening up Congress About National Security Smartening up Congress About National Security Daniel Schuman, Policy Director, Demand Progress |
3:45 – 4:00PM | Break |
4:00-5:00PM |
The Feeling of Being Watched Assia Boundaoui, Documentary Filmmaker Faisal Gill, Attorney Jumana Musa, Privacy and National Security Counsel, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Moderated by Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
5:00 – 5:30PM |
Closing Keynote Bruce Schneier, Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School |