Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast, Episode #53: An Interview with Alex Klimburg

In this week’s episode of the Cyberlaw Podcast, I take our new mobile recording equipment to Paris to talk about Europe’s cybersecurity directive with Alex Klimburg, of the Hague Institute for Strategic Studies and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.  The directive is in its final stages after a two-year buildup, and the most recent drafts suggest that the EU is finding it hard to muster the will for heavy regulation in this area. In our news roundup, Jason Weinstein covers the Anthem hack and probable Chinese responsibility for it.  I point out that American privacy groups have said more or less nothing about the idea that a massive database about Americans might be assembled by China. Stephanie Roy explains the FCC’s proposed net neutrality regs. And Doug Kantor lays odds on the five most prominent cybersecurity proposals.  Short version:  information-sharing is looking doable, and a national breach law might be as well.  CFAA changes look less easy, and the ECPA changes are stuck in a fight between people who hate Wall Street and privacy campaigners. The President’s $14 billion appropriation request for cybersecurity will get sliced, diced, and roasted, but he’ll likely end up with a lot of that money. Cybersecurity scrutiny continues for financial institutions.  Jason reports on two recent regulators’ warning shots.  And I cover a variety of surveillance news, including the irony that a UK tribunal declared that an otherwise unlawful GCHQ practice had been saved by none other than Edward Snowden, who provided the transparency the tribunal considered necessary.  Thanks, Eddie! The Cyberlaw Podcast is now open to feedback.  Send your questions, suggestions for interview candidates, or topics to CyberlawPodcast@steptoe.com.  If you’d like to leave a message by phone, contact us at +1 202 862 5785.