This seminar provides an in depth look at modern government surveillance law, policies and practices. It is taught by Richard Salgado, formerly director of law enforcement and information security at Google and a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. We will focus on U.S. government signals collection for national security, intelligence gathering, espionage, criminal law enforcement and public safety purposes, and will address transnational implications. Technologies and practices we will cover include wiretapping, stored data collection and mining, location tracking, encryption and developing eavesdropping techniques. We will explore how government surveillance is permitted, prohibited or controlled by the U.S. Constitution, including the Fourth Amendment, and laws such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the USA Freedom Act, the Patriot Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the CLOUD Act, and CALEA. We will also look at the role of executive orders and laws outside the United States. No technical expertise is required. Elements used in grading: Two papers, timely submission of topics and outlines, and class participation.
2 units · Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
This seminar provides an in depth look at modern government surveillance law, policies and practices. It is taught by Richard Salgado, formerly director of law enforcement and information security at Google and a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. We will focus on U.S. government signals collection for national security, intelligence gathering, espionage, criminal law enforcement and public safety purposes, and will address transnational implications. Technologies and practices we will cover include wiretapping, stored data collection and mining, location tracking, encryption and developing eavesdropping techniques. We will explore how government surveillance is permitted, prohibited or controlled by the U.S. Constitution, including the Fourth Amendment, and laws such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the USA Freedom Act, the Patriot Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the CLOUD Act, and CALEA. We will also look at the role of executive orders and laws outside the United States. No technical expertise is required. Elements used in grading: Two papers, timely submission of topics and outlines, and class participation.
Offered in Spring 2026 at Stanford University.