Dustin Vandenberg
What issue are you most following during your time in DC?
By Dustin Vandenberg
Summer 2013
The current scandal with Edward Snowden and the NSA has been the biggest issue so far. I’m working at the Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute at George Washington University this summer, so these revelations have been the subject of most of our work this summer. Because of these issues, I’ve been able to attend conferences hosted by Kaspersky Labs, Microsoft, The Washington Post, and The National Journal. All these events have allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of current issues in privacy, security, and national security as they relate to current domestic and foreign policies.
I also have had my fair share of celebrity sightings at these events (well… my ideas of celebrities). I had the privilege of hearing General Michael Hayden, the former director of both the CIA and NSA, discuss the current status of cyber security as it relates to national security and crime fighting. I also was able to hear General Keith Alexander, the current director of the NSA and CYBERCOMM, testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee as he was questioned about privacy concerns, data mining, and integration among the NSA, DHS, and private sector. One of the most memorable moments was during the questioning period of this hearing, when General Alexander was asked “How many terror attacks have been stopped using PRISM”. The massive auditorium fell silent as the General thought carefully and responded: “That is classified, we will have to discuss that at the classified hearing later today”. However, this was immediately followed by the Senator demanding: “Not all of us will be in the closed intelligence hearing. We need to know, just give us an estimate”. Another silence followed as the General tactfully responded “dozens”. This statement caused a wave of keystrokes and scribbles to pour from the table full of media members and onto the notepads of the audience. The next day the Washington Post’s headline read: “NSA director says dozens of attacks were stopped by surveillance programs”
General Hayden speaking at a conference
This amazing opportunity to sit in on this hearing really gave me the first “D.C. moment”. The very same words that I heard only a day before were now on newspaper headlines across the country. The controversy over the NSA, in concert with all the other events I have been lucky enough to attend, has been my greatest concern here in D.C. and will likely remain so for some time to come.
Dustin is a rising senior majoring in Science and Technology Policy and Computer Science. He is interning at George Washington University’s Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute.
