#munkdebates

On Friday, the semi-annual Munk Debate held in Toronto discussed the topic: Be it resolved state surveillance is a legitimate defense of our freedoms.

The debate brought together civil liberties lawyer and Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz and former director of the National Security Agency, Michael Hayden defending the current US government surveillance program, explaining that the tactics are justified for the sake of national security. Co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian and journalist, Glen Greenwald argued why some of the surveillance tactics may be unconstitutional and actually undermine national security.

The discussion included such topics as mass surveillance, terrorism, national security, internet security, privacy and bulk collection. Hayden explained the different types of surveillance and rebutted Greenwald's claim that the NSA conducts mass surveillance by explaining that the NSA uses bulk collection and on any given day collects less than .00004% of global internet traffic. 

Ohanian explained his concerns regarding the effects that surveillance has on internet security: “At the end of the day, I think we agree that we want security above all but the actions we have been taking for mass surveillance actually make us less so.” 

The debate has never been more relevant since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden began leaking thousands of classified NSA documents detailing the methods and extent of state surveillance. Snowden even made an appearance via video, supporting Greenwald’s and Ohanian’s stance.