From the Magazine: Cybersecurity, Privacy and the Law
Big Data Means Big Questions
by Stephanie Wilkinson
In June of 2013, Edward Snowden, a former employee of the CIA and contractor for the National Security Agency, blew the whistle on the U.S. government’s vast intelligence gathering programs. Snowden’s revelations sparked a vigorous public debate on the proper trade-off between personal privacy and national security and raised the larger issue of privacy in the Internet age.
Who has the right to examine records of our phone calls or e-mails? What about our shopping habits, library check-out records or travel routes recorded by EZ Pass, parking-lot cameras or cell-tower pings? Does using a smartphone or signing onto a social media platform mean you’ve forfeited your right to privacy? These questions have led to a slew of legal challenges that strike at the very core of our democracy.
Examining these issues are a number of W&L Law faculty and alumni who bring insightful perspectives on big data, cybersecurity, privacy and the use of technology by the government and law enforcement on the local and national level.
If you know any W&L alumni who would be great profile subjects, tell us about them! Nominate them for a web profile.