Surveillance Reform as a transatlantic trust-building measure

On June 28, Michèle Flournoy, former US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Washington based think tank Center for a New American Security (CNAS) will come to Berlin. On the occasion of her visit, stiftung neue verantwortung will co-host a workshop with CNAS to discuss the state of affairs in transatlantic relations with a focus on the rift caused by the Snowden revelations.    

The Snowden revelations damaged trust between the U.S. government and the American people, the private sector, and foreign publics. They also affected global confidence in the U.S. technology industry and undermined the open Internet, a pillar of Western economic strength and global leadership.

A new U.S. presidential administration will provide an opening for a shift in policy and tone. The interval between now and early 2017 thus represents a critical opportunity to glean the lessons from past and contemporary surveillance practices and develop a more sustainable approach.

In advance of the U.S. presidential election, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is currently convening experts in the field to develop a new approach to surveillance policy that safeguards national security while rebuilding public trust. As part that initiative, the CNAS-SNV Berlin workshop will explore:

• how the Snowden revelations continue to affect transatlantic cooperation and Internet commerce;
• how domestic German debates over the role of the BND and intelligence oversight by the Bundestag affect the transatlantic surveillance-policy debate;
• how the migrant crisis and recent terrorist attacks have affected public opinion on electronic surveillance;
• and what the next U.S. administration could realistically do to meaningfully reduce transatlantic friction over electronic surveillance.

This is an invitation-only workshop.