Sessions Information

  • January 5, 2018
    10:30 am - 12:15 pm
    Session Type: Section Programs
    Session Capacity: N/A
    Hotel: N/A
    Room: Pacific Ballroom Salon 18
    Floor: North Tower/Ground Level

    This panel explores the legal and policy debates surrounding surveillance and its impact on civil rights and civil liberties. In particular, the panel examines whether technology is a “race-neutral” tool that mitigates the risk of racial and religious profiling. On the one hand, proponents of digital watch listing and database screening systems proffer such data surveillance methods can algorithmically inform investigatory actions in ways that maximize accuracy and minimize physical intrusions. Mass tracking and bulk data collection allegedly increase the objectivity and efficiency of counterterrorism efforts. In addition, big data has been hailed for its potential exonerating benefits through biometric databases and DNA evidence. On the other hand, experts, civil rights lawyers, and scholars have increasingly critiqued the manner in which “new school” policing methods can enhance “old school” discrimination and exacerbate implicit biases. Those challenging modern surveillance programs allege that algorithmic-derived targeting and classification based on suspicious digital data may serve as a proxy for classification on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, and religion. Accordingly, this timely panel also explores how surveillance may be conducted in ways that disparately impact minority communities.

    Business meeting held during the Minority Groups Luncheon.

Session Speakers
Rutgers Law School
Moderator

University of Houston Law Center
Speaker

American University, Washington College of Law
Speaker

University of Oklahoma College of Law
Speaker

Session Fees
  • [5310] Minority Groups, Co-Sponsored by National Security Law - Technology as a Sword and a Shield: Law at the Intersection of Civil Rights and Surveillance: $0.00