The University of St. Thomas School of Law’s Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions is bringing together internationally known experts in the fields of privacy and national security for a debate on Thursday, Oct. 3, on the university’s Minneapolis campus.
The event, “Debating Government Surveillance: Privacy vs. National Security,” will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Schulze Hall auditorium. The formal debate will take up the first hour of the event, with the second hour being devoted to a Q-and-A session with the audience.
Featured speakers are Marc Rotenberg, president and executive director of Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, D.C.; Bruce Schneier, internationally renowned security technologist, author of 12 books, and author of the newsletter Crypto-Gram and the blog Schneier on Security; Steven Bradbury, former head of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel; and Andrew McCarthy, former assistant U.S. attorney, contributing editor for National Review and lead prosecutor in the federal convictions related to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Don Shelby, former WCCO television news anchor and radio host, will serve as moderator.
The debate will focus on the intersection of freedom, terror and government data collection – all topics that have been in the forefront of public consciousness in recent months, said Hank Shea, who is a fellow for the Holloran Center and faculty member with the School of Law.
“Recent disclosures about government surveillance programs present a clash of important, competing values – privacy and freedom from intrusion, versus security and safety from terror,” Shea said. “This debate will challenge all who attend to decide which value is paramount.”
Registration for the event is open to the public, but seating is limited. Registration is $25 for members of the public, or $50 for those seeking continuing-legal-education credit. The event is free to students who have registered. Register online here.
