Inverted Liberty: Privacy, Transparency and Democratic Governance
Marc Rotenberg, President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington
Organised by Fundamental Rights and Constitutionalism Research Group
Introduction
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), an independent research organisation in Washington, DC has recently filed lawsuits in the United States to protect the privacy of state voter records, EPIC v. Commission, and to compel the release of President Trump's tax returns, EPIC v. IRS. How can a privacy organisation favor the privacy interests of one group while opposing the privacy of others? In this talk, Marc Rotenberg discusses EPIC's litigation strategy in these hi-profile cases, and the larger issue of privacy and transparency in democratic society. His central point is that democracies safeguards the rights of citizens and make accountable political leaders. But when these claims are inverted, democracy is diminished and a new form of governance emerges. In a recent article in Newsweek, Rotenberg describes this as the "new authoritarianism" and suggests that political leaders in such governments "will be less likely to arrest political opponents and more inclined to rely on the continued inversion of privacy and openness". This insight helps explain EPIC's strategy in the cases that will be discussed.
Free entrance, no registration required.