Security Versus Privacy?

Does homeland security mean you can't be secure in your own home? A steady drumbeat of revelations about the U.S. government's trove of phone and electronic communication records of private citizens has unsettled many within the past few months. The government has argued that it needs this information to identify and apprehend terrorists and their sympathizers. But people are wondering if America is sacrificing privacy and civil liberties upon the altar of homeland security, and if so, to what extent? Are the fears of an oncoming police state grossly unjustified? Or should they serve as clarion calls for reform? In this Events@RAND recording, panelists discuss where to draw the proper lines between privacy, security, and liberty.

Featured Speakers

Henry Willis
Director, RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center

Rafael J. Garcia, Jr.
Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office

Cameron Munter
Professor of International Relations, Pomona College; U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan (2010–2012) and Serbia (2007–2009)

Peter Bibring
Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU of Southern California