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Business Implications of the President’s NSA Review Group Peter Swire Huang Professor of Law and Ethics Scheller College of Business Georgia Institute of Technology Law Seminars International: 3/28/14
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Overview of the Talk Intro to Review Group Four business issues: Business & economics issues into the IC calculus US-based global businesses affected by IC decisions Lean toward defense in cyber-security Support better Internet governance
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Creation of the Review Group Snowden leaks of 215 and Prism in June, 2013 August – Review Group 5 members
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December 2013: The Situation Room
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Our assigned task Protect national security Advance our foreign policy, including economic effects Protect privacy and civil liberties Maintain the public trust Reduce the risk of unauthorized disclosure
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Our Report Meetings, briefings, public comments 300+ pages in December 46 recommendations Section 215 database “not essential” to stopping any attack; recommend government not hold phone records; proposal this week basically agrees Pres. Obama speech January Adopt 70% in letter or spirit Additional recommendations under study Organizational changes to NSA not adopted
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Issue 1: Foreign Affairs/Economics Major theme of the report is that we face multiple risks, not just national security risks Effects on allies, foreign affairs Risks to privacy & civil liberties Risks to economic growth & business Historically, intelligence community is heavily walled off, to maintain secrecy Now, convergence of civilian and military/intelligence communications devices, software & networks Q: How respond to the multiple risks?
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Addressing Multiple Risks RG Recs 16 & 17: New process & WH staff to review sensitive intelligence collection in advance Senior policymakers from the economic agencies (NEC, Commerce, USTR) should participate Monitoring to ensure compliance with policy RG Rec 19: New process for surveillance of foreign leaders Relations with allies, with economic and other implications, if this surveillance becomes public
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Issue 2: US-Based Cloud Companies in a Global Market The issue: effects on US-based cloud industry Understanding contrasting perspectives of IC and the IT industry Intelligence community perspective: Snowden a criminal; 0% say whistleblower Substantial assistance to adversaries by ongoing revelations of sources & methods E.g., reports on techniques for entering into “air- gapped” computer systems IC Tradition of expecting secrecy over long time scale, so details of intelligence activities rarely disclosed and harms from disclosures rarely experienced
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Tech Industry Perspective Tech industry perspective: Silicon Valley – 90% say whistleblower Snowden has informed us about Internet realities Tech industry libertarianism: “information wants to be free” and suspicion of government & secrecy Anger at undermining encryption standards More anger for stories that leased lines for Yahoo and Google servers were tapped Microsoft GC: the US Government as an “advanced persistent threat”
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What is at Stake for the IT Industry Biggest focus on public cloud computing market Double in size 2012-2016 Studies estimate US business losses from NSA revelations: tens of billions $/year An opening for non-U.S. providers Market has been dominated by US companies Deutsche Telecomm and others: “Don’t put your data in the hands of the NSA and US providers” US industry response: more transparency Boost consumer confidence that the amount of government orders is modest
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Moving to More Transparency RG Rec 9: OK to reveal number of orders, number they have complied with, information produced, and number for each legal authority (215, 702, NSL, etc.), unless compelling national security showing RG Rec 31: US should advocate to ensure transparency for requests by other governments Put more focus on actions of other governments DOJ agreement with companies in January
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Issue 3: Offense v. Defense for Cyber- security The issue of trading off offense & defense: NSA/IC offensive missions Foreign intelligence surveillance Title 10 – military authorities US Cyber Command NSA/IC defensive missions Information Assurance Directorate of NSA Protect government systems Counter-intelligence We use precisely one communications infrastructure for both offense and defense
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Conflict between Offense & Defense Has Increased (1) Before: separate communications system behind the Iron Curtain; nation-state actors Now: same Internet for civilians, terrorists & military (2) Before: military protected its communication security within the chain of command Now: critical infrastructure largely civilian; tips to defense get known to attackers (3) Before: episodic flares of military action Now: daily & hourly cyber-attacks, to businesses and others, right here at home
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Strong Crypto for Defense RG Rec 29: support strong crypto standards and software; secure communications a priority; don’t push vendors to have back doors (defense) No announcement yet on this recommendation – it is a tech industry priority
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Zero Days & the Equities Process A “zero day” exploit means previously unused vulnerability, where defenders have had zero days to respond Press reports of USG stockpiling zero days, for intelligence & military use RG Rec 30: Lean to defense. New WH equities process to ensure vulnerabilities are blocked for USG and private networks. Exception if inter-agency process finds a priority to retain the zero day as secret. Software vendors and owners of corporate systems have strong interest in good defense No announcement yet on this recommendation
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Issue 4: Internet Governance The issue: Snowden becomes a huge talking point against the US approach to Internet governance. Potential harms to business, including US-based business.
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International Telecommunications Union? US & US industry position: Internet governance as bottom-up, tech-based, multi-stakeholder process. Outputs: innovation, growth, Internet freedom, democracy. Russia & China: push for major ITU role. Governance by governments. Respect local norms (called “cyber- security” but meaning “censorship”). Oppose “chaos” of current approach. Swing votes at the ITU: medium-sized economies pay more for Internet service than rich countries, lose inter- connection fees, don’t know how to have a voice in W3C & IETF.
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How to Bolster Multi-stakeholder US Internet Freedom agenda – secure communications by dissenters, democratic freedom, human rights. Russia & China: Snowden shows US hypocrisy. Response: legal checks & balances in US; First Amendment; emphatically not used for political repression RG Rec 32: senior State Department official on these issues RG Rec 33: support multi-stakeholder approach Many RG recs: reinforce privacy & civil liberties & oversight in foreign surveillance PPD-28: extend protections to non-US persons
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Localization Proposals Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia proposals to require storage locally EU proposals to restrict data transfers to US; using T- TIP & Safe Harbor as bargaining chips for less US surveillance RG: emphasize economic & other harms from localization/”splinternet” Strengthen relations with allies RG Rec 31: build international norm against localization RG Rec 34: streamline multi-lateral assistance treaties (MLATs), so no need to hold data there, can get it in US
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The Lessons for Business Business & economics issues into the IC calculus US-based global businesses affected by IC decisions Lean toward defense Support better Internet governance
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Conclusion Are pessimists correct that nothing will change? Section 215 program quite possibly will end DOJ agreed to the transparency agreement EU privacy regulation seemed dead, but Snowden- related sentiments resulted this month in EU Parliament 621-10 in favor We are in a period where change is possible Businesses, and their advisors, should support changes that meet the multiple goals of our national and economic security
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