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Conference
2019 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference
Featuring
Genevieve Lester
Daniel Schuman
David M. Barrett
Charlie Savage
Alan Butler
Gabe Rottman
Greg Nojeim
Jason Pielemeier
Nabihah Maqbool
Chip Gibbons
Jennifer Daskal
Adam Klein
Jane Nitze
Aditya Bamzai
Jim Baker
Matt Blaze
Neema Singh Guliani
Not since the 1970s have intelligence activities — and intelligence oversight — been as central to America’s domestic political discourse as they are today. From presidential impeachment to election security, from explosive allegations of political wiretapping to debates over the regulation of social media platforms, U.S. spy agencies — as well as the myriad overseers tasked with checking their power — seem to play central roles in the most contentious issues of the day. The common thread is the tension always inherent to intelligence in a democratic society: the need to make necessarily secretive spy agencies accountable to the political branches of government but independent of politics. Yet even as intelligence agencies face unprecedented public scrutiny — and seek to meet unprecedented demands for transparency — the scale and complexity of their work has left many wondering whether meaningful control is possible.
The 2019 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference will explore that question with a special focus on the people and institutions tasked with watching the watchers, including congressional committees, inspectors general, independent privacy boards, and courts.
Schedule:
| 9:00 — 9:10AM |
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
| 9:10 — 10:15AM |
PANEL – “Watching the Detectives: Improving Intelligence Oversight” Liz Hempowicz, Moderator, Public Policy Director, Project on Government Oversight Genevieve Lester, De Serio Chair of Strategic Intelligence, U.S. Army War College Daniel Schuman, Policy Director. Demand Progress David M. Barrett, Professor of Political Science, Villanova University Margo Schlanger, McCree Collegiate Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School Download a podcast of the Welcome Remarks and Panel 1 |
| 10:15 — 10:30AM |
MORNING BREAK |
| 10:30 — 11:30AM |
PANEL – “Overseeing Programmatic Surveillance: FISA §702 and §215” Charlie Savage, Moderator, Washington Correspondent, New York Times Carrie Cordero, Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security Elizabeth Goitein, Director, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice Neema Singh Guliani, Legislative Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union Ben Huebner, Chief, Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy, & Transparency, Office of the Director of National Intelligence Download a podcast of Panel 2 |
| 11:30 — 12:00PM |
MORNING FLASH TALKS “How Often Do Prosecutors Get Location Surveillance Orders? The DOJ Has No Idea…” Alan Butler, Senior Counsel, Electronic Privacy Information Center “Stop Snitching: The New Landscape of Media Leak Prosecutions” Gabe Rottman, Director, Technology and Press Freedom Project, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Download a podcast of the Morning Flash Talks |
| 12:00 — 1:00PM |
LUNCH |
| 1:00 — 2:45PM |
AFTERNOON FLASH TALKS “Global Implications of an ‘America First’ Surveillance Policy” Greg Nojeim, Senior Counsel and Director, Freedom, Technology, and Security Project, Center for Democracy and Technology “Surveillance Sprawl: Tracking the Expansion of Countering Violent Extremism Programs” Nabihah Maqbool, Legal Fellow, Muslim Advocates “Spying on Dissent: The Enduring Problem of FBI First-Amendment Abuse” Chip Gibbons, Policy and Legislative Counsel, Defending Rights and Dissent “Satellites and Smart Devices: Data Surprises and Security, Privacy, and Regulatory Challenge” Anne Toomey McKenna, Distinguished Scholar of Cyberlaw and Policy, Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences “Investigating the Use of Facial Recognition in Your Own Backyard: A Citizen’s Guide” Freddy Martinez, Policy Analyst, Open the Government Download a podcast of the Afternoon Flash Talks |
| 2:45 — 3:00PM |
AFTERNOON BREAK |
| 3:00 — 4:00PM |
PANEL – “A Conversation with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board” Jennifer Daskal, Professor of Law & Faculty Director of Tech, Law, & Security Program, Washington College of Law at American University Adam Klein, Chair, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Jane Nitze, Board Member, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Aditya Bamzai, Board Member, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Download a podcast of the Panel 3 |
| 4:15 — 5:20PM |
PANEL – “Return of the Crypto Wars” Sean Gallagher, Moderator, IT Editor and National Security Editor, Ars Technica Robyn Greene, Privacy Policy Manager, Facebook Jim Baker, Director of National Security and Cybersecurity, R Street Institute Brad Wiegmann, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice Download a podcast of the Panel 4 |
| 5:20 — 5:30PM |
CLOSING REMARKS Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
| 5:30PM |
RECEPTION |
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