LtGen Vincent Stewart, USMC (Ret.), was a founding member of the TLS Advisory Board, for which he generously offered his time and wise insights. He passed away suddenly at his home on April 28, 2023.
LtGen Stewart retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2019 after 38 years of distinguished service to the Nation. A career intelligence officer, he served around the globe in leadership positions for both the Marine Corps and the National Security Agency, specializing in Signals Intelligence and Cyber Operations. He was a true trailblazer and dedicated public servant. Among his many accomplishments, he served as the first Black director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and as the the Deputy Commander, United States Cyber Command.
After retiring from the Marine Corps in 2019, LtGen Stewart continued to support national security working as an advisor and thought leader for both the public and private sectors. He was committed, in word and deed, to diversity, social justice, and promoting the welfare of others. His unfiltered and impactful commentary on the brutal murder of George Floyd, Please, Take your Knee off our Necks so we can Breathe, is but one example. LtGen Stewart was a friend and mentor to many, and a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. TLS is a far better enterprise thanks to his involvement and contributions.
New From TLS: Necessity, Proportionality, and Executive Order 14086.
TLS Senior Project Director Alex Joel provides an in-depth explanation of how EO 14086 addresses the Schrems II concerns regarding necessity and proportionality. The terms “necessary” and “proportionate” have specialized meanings under the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights. The paper examines in depth how the EO articulates and explains those terms, interpreting them in light of U.S. law and legal traditions. View the report here and the larger Privacy Across Borders Project here.
SAVE The Date!
TLS is excited to announce the second iteration of our Cyber & International Law Conference titled "Cyber In War: Lessons from the Russia - Ukraine Conflict" will be taking place September 20th through 22nd, 2023. We are excited to partner with the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence (CCDCOE), the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare at West Point, the NUS Centre for International Law, and the Federmann Cyber Security Center Cyber Law Program on this great event. Registration coming soon!
Apply to join tls!
Are you a WCL student interested in the intersection of tech, law, and security? Apply to be an Research Assistant!
TLS is seeking paid Research Assistants for Summer 2023. RAs will be assigned to either the Privacy Across Borders project, working with Senior Project Director Alex Joel and Senior Researcher Shanzay Pervaiz, or a project on international cyber standards, working with Program Director Gary Corn and Senior Fellow Bill Carranza.
Expectations: Part-time, 5-10 hours per week. Although some weeks may be fewer hours, it will never be more than 10 hours in a given week. RAs will be asked to conduct in-depth legal research, analyze specific issues, and draft short reports for internal and/or external consumption, as well as other duties as assigned.
Application: To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to techlawsec@wcl.american.edu. If you have a preference as to which project, please address that in your cover letter.
Deadline: May 31st, 2023, 11:59 p.m. EST
Applications for Research Assistant positions for the Fall 2023 semester will be posted once program needs have been assessed over the upcoming months. Applications for TLS Student Fellow positions for the 2023-2024 academic year will also be posted over the summer.
Content governance in the shadows: How Telcos & Other Infrastructure companies "Moderate" Online Content.
TLS Senior Fellow Prem M. Trivedi addresses significant policy challenges in online content governance activities by non-application layer internet infrastructure companies. In addition to exploring the nuances of the challenges, the paper makes recommendations for telcos to improve transparency about their practices and for how all non-application layer companies can consider substantive content governance principles. This paper is part of the TLS Addressing Harmful Content Online Project and is supported, in part, by the Anti-Defamation League. View the paper here.
Data Localization and Government Access to Data Stored abroad: Discussion Paper 2.
The Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL) and Tech, Law & Security Program (TLS) have been collaborating on a project regarding data localization policies. As data localization is increasingly gaining traction, we seek to understand the different dimensions of the impacts and effectiveness of these policies. As part of this collaboration—CIPL published a paper on the “real life” business, societal, and consumer impacts of data localization policies and TLS published the present paper on whether data localization measures are legally effective in achieving one of their main ostensible purposes, i.e., to prevent foreign government access to data. View the paper here.
Combating Ransomware: One Year On.
This new paper revisits key ideas from the “Combating Ransomware” webinar series in view of ransomware’s evolution over the past year; identifies progress that has been made in the fight against ransomware; and identifies actionable recommendations for the future. These include recommendations designed to strengthen cyber defense, cyber offense, law enforcement efforts, the U.S. cyber incident reporting regime, cryptocurrency efforts, and international efforts. This report was jointly authored by V. Gerald Comizio, Gary Corn (TLS Program Director), William Deckelman (TLS Advisory Board Member), Karl Hopkins (TLS Advisory Board Member), Mark Hughes, Patrick McCarty, Sujit Raman (TLS Senior Fellow), Kurt Sanger, Ari Schwartz, Melanie Teplinsky (TLS Senior Fellow), and Jackson Colling (former TLS Student Fellow). View the report here.
Protecting Children in the Age of End-to-End Encryption.
Senior Project Director Laura Draper explores how to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse when end-to-end encryption obscures the government’s access. Conversations about online child sexual exploitation and abuse often devolve into no-win arguments about the merits (or lack thereof) of end-to-end encryption. TLS Senior Project Director Laura Draper sidesteps this debate in the new report, Protecting Children in the Age of End-to-End Encryption, by assuming end-to-end encryption is here to stay, and focusing on how we can collaborate to combat these harms. View the project and report.
TLS is pleased to welcome our newest senior fellows!
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