Protecting Liberty in the Age of Surveillance
From The Steady State Sentinel by The Steady State
April 14, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 21
About this episode
The episode discusses privacy, protest, and government data with Alex Joel, exploring how democracies can protect liberty in the age of surveillance.
How a former Chief of the Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence thinks about privacy, protest, and the power of government data. In the latest episode of the Sentinel, American University Adjunct professor and Scholar‑in‑Residence, Alex Joel, joins host Peter Mina to unpack how democracies can fight real threats without becoming one themselves, exploring the post‑9/11 “connect the dots” mindset, the Privacy Act’s enduring role, and how data, protest, and transparency collide. Alex Joel is a Scholar‑in‑Residence and Adjunct Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law, where he leads the Privacy Across Borders initiative and focuses on the intersection of national security, technology, privacy, and civil liberties. He previously served as the longtime Chief of the Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, acting as the Intelligence Community’s Civil Liberties Protection Officer and later its Chief Transparency Officer after earlier service as an attorney at the CIA. View the episode transcript.
People in this episode
Host: Peter Mina
Guest: Alex Joel
Topics covered
- privacy
- government surveillance
- civil liberties
- data transparency
- protest
- national security
Keywords
- privacy
- surveillance
- civil liberties
- government data
- protest
- transparency
- national security
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American University, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, CIA
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