2014 Next Generation Project Texas Assembly Surveillance, Security, and Privacy from a Texas Perspective Houston, Texas January 30-31, 2014 ABOUT NEXT GENERATION PROJECT TEXAS The Next Generation Project was founded by the American Assembly at Columbia University in 2005 and is now a flagship program at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin. The concept for the Next Generation Project emerged from the belief that many of our national and global institutions have not always been ideally suited to manage the evolving challenges our nation faces today. To generate cutting edge, innovative solutions to our shared global challenges, the national Project gathered the best and brightest leaders from around the country to discuss this issue through rigorous, responsible debate. The first assembly of the Next Generation Project Texas took place in Fort Worth, Texas and was one of three held in the state. Each non-partisan assembly produced innovative recommendations and fresh insights into ways the U.S. can generate and implement more effective, forward-looking global policies in the years and decades to come. The voices and contributions of the next generation of Texas leaders are needed now more than ever. ABOUT THE STRAUSS CENTER The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin is a nonpartisan research center that engages the best minds in academia, government, and the private sector to develop unique, policy-relevant solutions to complex global challenges. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO JON AND REBECCA BRUMLEY The Next Generation Project Texas would not be possible without the generous support of Jon and Rebecca Brumley of Fort Worth, Texas. BACKGROUND TO THE ASSEMBLY The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin welcomed 28 new and 15 returning Fellows to the third Assembly of the Next Generation Project Texas, “Surveillance, Security, and Privacy from a Texas Perspective,” in Houston, Texas on January 30, 2014. The third Assembly followed the inaugural Assembly in Fort Worth in October 2011 and the second Assembly in Austin in November 2012. Over the course of the Project, the Strauss Center has identified a network of over 80 Fellows from around the state. The main objective of the annual Assembly is to bring bright young leaders in diverse fields together to form collaborative solutions to today’s global challenges that are impacting us right here at home in Texas. To develop these solutions, the Assembly’s agenda is framed around idea-sparking panels and dynamic small group discussions. Discussion leaders guide each discussion and note points of agreement and disagreement within the group, as well as important new ideas that emerge. The Strauss Center takes no position on these discussions. The reading material and the panel presentations offer background to stimulate the discussions. The Assembly process is a discussion in which one tries to illuminate points of agreement and highlight interesting, new thinking that can inform policy planning on these complex issues. SUMMARY OF TOPICS DISCUSSED The Next Generation Project Texas’ third Assembly explored the opportunities and challenges that technology poses to security, privacy, and economic development. Experts from across Texas came together to discuss these issues and provide context for the Fellows' discussions. The Assembly sought to assess the impacts of rapid technological change on surveillance, security, and privacy issues in Texas. Complex, intersecting issues have wide-reaching impacts on law enforcement capabilities, citizen safety and privacy, state and local economic development, academic research, and private sector innovation. Opening remarks were presented by Strauss Center Director Bobby Chesney, who emphasized the purpose of the conference: to bring together people of diverse backgrounds to inject fresh perspectives into public policy debates and to increase networks among the next generation of leaders. What is privacy? What constitutes a threat? How do we define security? The Fellows explored these questions throughout the day and engaged in debate about the importance of consent, the use of opt-out policies, and whether individuals should be informed about how much, what kind, and for what use their information is being collected, as well as who is handling this information and how it is being protected. Fellows addressed trade offs between convenience and privacy, and discussed how people knowingly trade some measure of privacy for the sake of convenience. For example, people often download computer or smart phone applications and post personal information on social media platforms, knowing that doing so may jeopardize personal privacy. Although people engage in such activity voluntarily, they are often unaware of how the information willingly provided is used, for how long it is stored, and by whom. The debate also focused on the trade-offs between individual liberty and collective security, big data and the acceleration of technological change, and how the notion of privacy is continuously evolving and can vary greatly depending on the context. Next Generation Project Texas Assembly: Surveillance, Security, and Privacy from a Texas Perspective January 30, 2014 The Oceanaire at the Galleria 5061 Westheimer Road 6:30-8:30 p.m. Welcome Reception and Dinner January 31, 2014 Westin Oaks at the Galleria 5011 Westheimer Road 8:00 a.m. Welcome Robert Chesney, Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security & Law 8:15 a.m. Panel I: The Current Debate Moderator: Ashley Moran, Strauss Center Chris Tomlinson, Associated Press Chris Bronk, James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University Chief Art Acevedo, Austin Police Department 9:45 a.m. Discussion Groups Group I Facilitators: Rana Inboden, Strauss Center; Shalini Ramanathan, RES Americas Group II Facilitators: Ashley Moran, Strauss Center; John Losinger, Public Strategies 11:15 a.m. Group Photo 11:30 a.m. Lunchtime Panel II: The Future of Privacy and Surveillance in Texas Moderator: Robert Chesney, Strauss Center Dennis Storemski, Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, City of Houston Luis Garcia Carrillo, Unmanned Systems Laboratory, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Hanni Fakhoury, Electronic Frontier Foundation 1:30 p.m. Discussion Groups Group I Facilitators: Rana Inboden; Shalini Ramanathan Group II Facilitators: Ashley Moran; John Losinger 3:15 p.m. Plenary Session 4:45 p.m. Wrap-up 5:00 p.m. Reception at Lobby Bar Next Generation Project Texas Assembly: Surveillance, Security, and Privacy from a Texas Perspective SPEAKERS ART ACEVEDO (Austin) Chief, Austin Police Department Art Acevedo is Chief of the Austin Police Department, also known as APD. He leads a department of 2,400 sworn law enforcement and support personnel who carry out police operations within the City of Austin, as well as the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, city parks and lakes, and municipal courts. With an annual budget of $309 million, APD serves Austin’s diversified population in the 11th largest city in the United States. Under Chief Acevedo’s leadership, the APD has been reengineered into a data-driven and intelligence-led policing organization. Because Chief Acevedo believes in the uppermost importance of good communication for a successful community, he has steadily worked to strengthen the bond between the people of Austin and their police department. He has forged partnerships with elected officials, diverse community organizations, youth groups, the district attorney, the defense bar, and the media. As police chief, Acevedo also works to build sound relationships within the department. APD has reduced departmental expenditures by approximately $18 million, while maintaining service to the city, reducing crime, and keeping Austin—the fastest growing city in the nation—one of its safest. The first Hispanic to lead the Austin Police Department, Acevedo brings a unique understanding to the concerns of the diverse Austin community of African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians and Anglos. Born in Cuba, Acevedo was four years old when he migrated to the United States with his family in 1968. He grew up in California and earned his BS with honors in public administration from the University of La Verne in California. Chief Acevedo began his career in law enforcement as field patrol officer in East Los Angeles with the California Highway Patrol in 1986. He was subsequently promoted through various positions of increasing responsibility to Chief, California Highway Patrol, in 2005. He holds various leadership positions with the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police and has been with the Austin Police Department since July 2007. CHRISTOPHER BRONK (Houston) Fellow in Information Technology Policy, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University Christopher Bronk is the Baker Institute fellow in information technology policy. He holds additional appointments at the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, Rice University’s Department of Computer Science, and the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. His research focuses on cyber geopolitics with additional work in innovation, knowledge management, international politics, and policy related to intelligence and international security. Before coming to Rice, Chris was a software developer in a technology startup and then served as a foreign service officer, finishing his tenure at the U.S. State Department’s Office of eDiplomacy. In addition to significant work in the cybersecurity area, he has published on a broad range of issues, including broadband and Wi-Fi policy, IT sector energy consumption, intelligence and information sharing issues, U.S.-Mexico policy, and digital diplomacy. His most recent work is on computing and energy with an emphasis on the oil and gas industry. Chris has provided commentary and opinion pieces for a variety of news outlets, including The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Der Spiegel, Scientific American, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, the BBC and the Houston Chronicle.