International Relations in the Age of Surveillance: What NSA Means To US/EU Relations

Written by Erica White ‘15

On Monday, March 10, 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 cyber-security 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 cyber-security and personal privacy in a globalized world.