CS199r Briefing Document Matt Blake Nicholas Chammas Blase Ur Jon Collette Geoffrey Werner Allen I Introduction On the campaign trail you will become one of the most watched people in the country Many political careers have been ruined by remarks or gestures ostensibly made off the record but discreetly recorded and then publicly broadcast Modern technology has made it easy and cheap to monitor people and publicize information gathered on them As you run for public office it is of vital importance that you be aware of when and where you may be monitored by the press your competitors or the public and that you take appropriate caution to safeguard both your privacy and your public image We describe below the major types of surveillance you should expect to be deployed against you when they are most likely to be used and precautions you should take against them We have also noted where you are unlikely to be monitored and where caution may be unnecessary We hope you find this document useful on the campaign trail II Personal Cameras As the Senator George Allen Macaca debacle last year demonstrated cell phone cameras and other ubiquitous handheld recording devices pose a serious threat While you may be accustomed to controlling your speech and actions in front of news cameras you must recognize the importance of these smaller recording devices They can be employed by your competitors their supporters or even by unaffiliated individuals George Allen seriously damaged his public image by launching a derogatory slur at a member of his competitor s campaign following Allen on the campaign trail While the campaign staffer was videotaping Allen in plain sight the Senator may never have thought that the video would be widely disseminated However immediately following the event the video was posted on YouTube where it eventually garnered national attention It is thus our recommendation is that while you are outdoors in the public view you should be extra cautious of saying anything that could be viewed as derogatory or negative or that would be otherwise harmful to your public image We recommend you stay cautious even in the excitement of the moment and even when you believe you are among your supporters III The Internet While a useful tool the Internet can be a powerful surveillance tool Though Internet users typically consider themselves to be anonymous online ways to establish their identity exist These include spyware and other malicious software cookies commonly used by web sites to store state and other forms of logging Emails and chat conversations leave permanent records with the parties involved While it is illegal for a person to redistribute personal communications without your consent you should remain cautious while you type Unless you have a deep trust in the person you are communicating with you should assume that Internet correspondence will be recorded by the other party and potentially used against you in the future Furthermore a small risk exists of a third party intercepting online person to person communications The Internet is also a common research tool enabled personal research in a way inconceivable several election cycles ago Your opponents will no doubt use the Internet in this way and we must be prepared to defend ourselves We recommend creating a campaign task force to research yourself and your opponent This serves two purposes identifying what we need to defend against and maintaining the focus on your opponents past Anything that can be disclosed publicly without major political fallout should be in order to preempt attacks avoid the perception of being on the defensive However be advised on the Internet is unlikely to be missed by anyone with sufficient resources and determination IV Internal Surveillance An additional source of leaks may be your staff This past January a 140 page memo containing confidential information about Rudy Giuliani s presidential campaign strategy was leaked to the press The memo contained information about Giuliani s fundraising strategies and a taxonomy of his greatest challenges a near perfect guide to his flaws You should implement a strict information control regime within your office but more importantly try to keep a minimum of things in writing As previously stated if you say something racist then there is something to record If you write down your strategy in full gory detail then there s something to record or even just photocopy We recommend encryption and strict file protection for electronic copies and to trust the absolute minimum number of people you can with file access or physical copies V Telephone While we recommend you not discuss information sensitive to your campaign over the phone an illegal wiretap of you talking about your secrets will be seen by many as a modern day Watergate The public views your actions at events as public your phone conversations are private Because they are illegal phone taps are more likely to harm those that might use them against you rather than you yourself More important is the likelihood that your conversation is being recorded by the other party or being listened to by a third party unknown to you e g person you are conversing with has activated speaker phone As with Internet correspondence you should exercise caution when in conversation with someone you do not deeply trust What is important to remember is the difference between the embarrassing and the inappropriate that is to say while phone tapping revealing information about your personal life or campaign tactics would be damaging to your opponent offensive or publicly unacceptable remarks could be a bigger liability towards your campaign This holds true generally for all forms of surveillance For example Giuliani clearly intended his memo to be circulated to staff since he wrote it down it was viewed as admissible in the court of public opinion Had he said it on the phone the public would have expected it stay private since they have their own expectations of privacy on their ephemeral phone conversations Certainly you should not express your most controversial views with abandon on the phone but you should also not worry about every word you say being leaked to the press VI Safe Zones Any area where most individuals expect privacy is an area where you can relax a bit The public would feel violated if living room conversations from their own home were made public and so unless you are holding a press conference from your