Joe Whitley

Alston & Bird

Frontline Security
40 minutes, 18.5mb, recorded 2005-10-18
Topics: Privacy Security
Joe Whitely

How can the U.S.A. protect private data and improve security without blocking progress or harming the economy? As the first General Counsel to the Department of Homeland Security, a position he held for two years, Joe Whitely has valuable answers to these questions. In this interview with Sondra Schneider he discusses the pending legislation presently before Congress and the cybersecurity elements of the 2001 Patriot Act. Whitely also considers the differences between security and privacy, the issues facing commercial and infrastructural organizations, and the fallout from the penetration of the Atlanta-based ChoicePoint company.

Although the focus here is on the U.S.A. the issues discussed will affect all nations.



Alston & Bird partner Joe Whitley was appointed by the President as the first General Counsel to the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when it was enacted after 911. He became the highest ranking legal official in the department. During his tenure with DHS, Joe advised Secretary Tom Ridge and Secretary Michael Chertoff on legal issues. He held that position for two years before his departure and return to private practice. Previously he had led Alston & Bird’s white-collar and government investigations practice.

Resources:

This free podcast is from our Frontline Security series.

For The Conversations Network:

  • Post-production audio engineer: Paul Figgiani
  • Website editor: George Hawthorne