Privacy Part 3: Government Surveillance

March 3

Over the past two weeks we’ve looked at big-picture concepts of privacy and how the Internet reflects these issues in the context of corporations and people. This week, we dive into the specific question of surveillance by governments: how the Internet allows governments to observe their (and other governments') citizens, how these issues are different than from the corporate context, and what government surveillance does to us and the Internet as a system.

Readings

Government vs. Corporate Surveillance

• Brian Fung, Yes, There Is Actually a Huge Difference Between Government and Corporate Surveillance

• Bruce Schneier, The Trajectories of Government and Corporate Surveillance

• Emily Bell et al., Comment to Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies Regarding the Effects of Mass Surveillance on the Practice of Journalism (pages 9-12 ("Mass surveillance raises issues beyond individual surveillance," "Secret and confusing law," and "Chilling Effects") only)

Case Study - the NSA Scandal and Surveillance Policy

• The Guardian, NSA Surveillance Revelations Decoded (peruse)

• Electronic Frontier Foundation, Timeline of NSA Domestic Spying (peruse)

• Jack Goldsmith, We Need an Invasive NSA

• Bruce Schneier, The Battle for Power on the Internet (approx. 12:30, watch all)

Surveillance and U.S. law

• Kit Walsh, The NSA's Spying Powers: Reading the Statute

• Steve Vladeck, Laura Donohue's Comprehensive Case Against Bulk Metadata Collection

• If you're interested, the Donohue article can be found here.

Class Discussion

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