International Relations in the Age of Surveillance: What NSA Means To U.S./EU Relations

On Monday, March 10th, Adelphi's International Studies Program was honored to host Mary Ellen Callahan, currently the Chair of Jenner & Block's Privacy and Information Governance Practice, for a lecture about different global approaches to security and privacy. With Callahan's extensive expertise in the field of privacy protection and national security, it was fantastic to hear an insider's perspective to recent cybersecurity events, including the Edward Snowden case. 

In her lecture, Callahan briefly described the U.S. government's approach to privacy, specifically the Privacy Act of 1974 and Executive Order 12333. She also discussed the key Fair Information Practice Principles, which are widely accepted as the rules for fair information practice within the context of online intelligence. She included the European Union's approach to privacy in light of the Lisbon Treaty, emphasizing that collaboration between the bodies of the EU and between EU Member States is crucial for effective security measures in Europe. 

From a student perspective, this lecture was a perfect blend of fact-based textbook knowledge and background information along with stories about relevant professional and personal experience. The lecture was captivating to a wide audience, and certainly opened participants' eyes to the complexities of cybersecurity and personal privacy in a globalized world.