IU law professor joins anti-terrorism committee

IU Law Professor Fred Cate will be grading more than final papers this semester -- he'll also be grading the U.S. government. \nThe National Academy of Sciences has appointed Cate to take part in a two-year project aimed at analyzing personal privacy in the context of government anti-terrorism programs. \nThe project is titled "The Committee on Information for Terrorism Prevention: Balancing Privacy and National Security." It is chaired by Charles Vest, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and composed of a handful of expert sources from across the country. \nCate said he believes the committee will have two primary objectives -- whether having personal information enhances security and how to protect privacy when the government uses personal information for security.\n"For example, to fly, you have to identify yourself, but does that make the airline any more safe? Does collecting personal information enhance \nsecurity?" he said. \nStephen Fienberg, vice chair of the committee and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said the project will benefit the American people. \n"It is fair to say that its work is in response to public and governmental concerns regarding privacy of individuals and the confidentiality of information in both public and private databases that have been or are likely to be used in efforts to detect potential terrorists," he said in an e-mail interview. \nJohn Applegate, executive associate dean and professor of law at IU, said Cate's appointment didn't come as a surprise. \n"I think he's a very well respected professor and colleague," he said. "Obviously they must feel -- and he is -- that he is a leading scholar in his area."\nCate said his interest in privacy and technology issues began after Sept. 11. \nTwo years ago, he was the chief counsel for the Department of Defense's Technology and Privacy advisory committee, and currently, he is director of IU's Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research. \nMarkus Jakobsson, associate director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, believes Cate's technological and legal background qualifies him for the position. \nDespite his new appointment, Cate said his work on the committee will not interfere with or replace any of his current commitments at IU. \n"I came here to teach, and I intend to teach," he said.