2019 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference
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 – 9:15AM | WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Julian Sanchez, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
9:15 – 10:15AM | PANEL – “Watching the Detectives: Improving Intelligence Oversight”
Genevieve Lester, De Serio Chair of Strategic Intelligence, U.S. Army War College |
10:15 – 10:30AM | MORNING BREAK |
10:30 – 11:30AM | PANEL – “Overseeing Programmatic Surveillance: FISA §702 and §215”
Charlie Savage, Charlie Savage, Washington Correspondent, New York Times |
11:30 – 12:00PM | MORNING FLASH TALKS
“How Often Do Prosecutors Get Location Surveillance Orders? The DOJ Has No Idea…” “Stop Snitching: The New Landscape of Media Leak Prosecutions” |
12:00 – 1:00PM | LUNCH |
1:00 – 2:45PM | AFTERNOON FLASH TALKS
“Global Implications of an ‘America First’ Surveillance Policy” “Cutting to the Core: Unmediated Government Access to Data as a Surveillance Hack” “Surveillance Sprawl: Tracking the Expansion of Countering Violent Extremism Programs” “Spying on Dissent: The Enduring Problem of FBI First-Amendment Abuse” |
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 |
4:00 – 4:15PM | FLASH TALK |
4:15 – 5:15PM | PANEL – “Return of the Crypto Wars”
Gail Kent, Messaging and Interoperability Policy Lead, Facebook |
5:15 – 5:30PM | CLOSING REMARKS |
5:30PM | RECEPTION |
RSVP here.