The Rise of America’s Surveillance State

In a post-9/11 world, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are expected to strike a delicate balance between conducting aggressive, swift intelligence gathering and adhering to constitutional privacy protections. But in a digital age, private information can sometimes be obtained easily and without an individual’s permission or knowledge, compromising civil liberties. How does the U.S. government reconcile the need to provide security to its citizens without overstepping privacy laws, which are seen as fundamental rights in a democracy?
Judicial Issues Forum
Save Subscribe Series Index
Event Information
When
Thursday, March 11, 2010
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM


Where
Saul/Zilkha Rooms
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Map

Event Materials

Reuters/T. Korol
Contact: Brookings Office of Communications


E-mail: events@brookings.edu


Phone: 202.797.6105



Also in this Series
No. 25
The 2009-2010 U.S. Supreme Court Term
The Brookings Institution, October 07, 2009

No. 24
Guantanamo Detainees: Is a National Security Court the Answer?
The Brookings Institution, March 17, 2009

No. 23
Immigration and the Courts
The Brookings Institution, February 20, 2009

View All »
On March 11, the Brookings Institution will host a Judicial Issues Forum discussion on The Watchers: The Rise of America’s Surveillance State (Penguin Press, 2010), a new book by National Journal intelligence and homeland security correspondent Shane Harris. Harris will discuss the rise of the American surveillance state over the past 25 years, as well as offer his views on how our government’s intelligence strategy has made it harder to catch terrorists and easier to spy on everyday citizens.

Following Harris’ remarks, Ben Wittes, Brookings senior fellow, and Kim Taipale, founder and executive director of the Stilwell Center for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology Policy, will provide reaction and offer their views on protecting individual privacy in an era of invasive technology.

After the program, participants will take audience questions.

Participants
Featured Speaker
Shane Harris
Homeland security and intelligence correspondent, National Journal

Moderator
Benjamin Wittes
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies

Discussant
Kim Taipale
Founder and Executive Director, Stilwell Center for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology Policy



RELATED CONTENT
Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror
Monday, June 23, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC

Legal Policy in the Obama Administration
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC

John Yoo Interrogation Memo
Benjamin Wittes, The New Republic, April 05, 2008