The tipping point: Can American institutions be saved?

Daniel Farber, Amanda Tyler, Bertrall Ross, James Dempsey quoted by California Magazine, Jan. 23, 2018

Farber: To function, government relies on the expertise of professionals whose skills and knowledge are developed over years or decades, says Farber, and these veteran employees are now leaving the federal government in droves. … Crucial agencies and departments are being hollowed out.

Tyler: “We’re 200 years into this experiment [of a constitutional republic], and its continued success depends in very great measure … on a fundamental respect each branch of government demonstrates for the roles the other branches play. His attacks on judicial decisions and judges are troubling in regard to this basic truth of our governmental structure.”

Ross: “Journalists have been the watchdog of government throughout history. … So when the nation’s leader attacks the media, makes a point about sowing doubt, it diminishes this crucial watchdog role. Also, the media itself is becoming polarized, and that can be seen as delegitimizing. Ultimately, leaders can be held less accountable.”

Dempsey: “We’ve devoted some private money [to funding AI research], but we have no national commitment. China has made such a commitment, and it worries me. Whoever gets there first will have significant control of the global economy, and probably the military edge as well.”

Trump White house plans to revive privacy board

James Dempsey quoted by US News & World Report, July 26, 2017

“I think the business interests and the civil liberties interests have become almost inextricably intertwined,” says Dempsey. … “The Privacy Shield is a very complicated set of agreements,” he says, “but one of the assurances was that there was a robust oversight system in the U.S. for government access to data, including data on Europeans.”

Warrantless requests to track cellphones, Internet use grew sevenfold in D.C. in three years

James Dempsey quoted by The Washington Post, July 18, 2017

James Dempsey … said that the data confirms the common-sense conclusion that secret law enforcement requests for phone and Internet records have surged as they have become routine in criminal cases.

Restricting encryption is a short-term solution to a long-term problem

James Dempsey writes for The Washington Post, Dec. 18, 2015

While the anger and fear generated by the events in Paris and San Bernardino are still strong, citing the attacks as support for preconceived proposals risks pushing aside questions of effectiveness and civil liberty.

Airlines’ privacy policies do little to protect consumers’ personal data

James Dempsey quoted in Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 2015

“Nobody thinks current practices represent adequate privacy protection for consumers,” said James Dempsey. … “Privacy policies are written to provide companies with maximum discretion about how they will use customer information.”