Events
The latest events at the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab
Past Events
Re-imagining International Law’s Prohibition on the Use of Force
Join the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab for a research seminar examining the possible demise of international law’s prohibition of force and attempting to chart a path forward.
Bailey Ulbricht
Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail
Dr. Ariel Petrovics will present her recent edited volume on how efforts to reduce nuclear weapons dangers may sometimes wind up exacerbating them. These efforts are considered fundamental to reducing the likelihood of nuclear catastrophe. Yet, no tool is guaranteed to succeed and some may even have unanticipated, counterproductive consequences for international security. In a field fixated on finding solutions, this book instead warns readers not to lose sight of the drivers and often calamitous effects of failed nuclear policies.
Dr. Ariel Petrovics
Modeling Hypersonic Missile Flight
This webinar will walk through the purpose, capabilities, and use of the Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Simulator, a recently launched web application that enables quick and easy modeling of the flight performance of hypersonic missiles. In addition to covering detailed use cases for this tool, it will walk through BRSL’s broader work on the integration of technical analysis into global security analysis.
Dr. Cameron Tracy, Dr. David Wright, Justin Ly
Algorithmic Warfare in Iran and Beyond: What Possibilities Exist for Governance?
The U.S. War on Iran has drawn widespread attention to the influence of AI and data science tools on military choices previously left to human judgement. At issue is whether the use of AI in military decision-making increases the risk to civilian life and if these tools accelerate the pace of war beyond the possibility of human oversight. Possible safety solutions, like improving the technical and regulatory guardrails over these systems, are meeting resistance in the United States and around the world. In the face of these challenges, how should technology, policy, and legal communities respond?
Dr. Sarah Shoker, Dr. Jessica Dorsey, Dr. Ritwik Gupta, Dr. Michael Horowitz
From Crust to Core: Analyzing North Korea’s Fissile Material and Strategic Resource Production
Sulgiye Park will discuss her research on North Korea’s production of critical materials for its nuclear weapons program. Combining satellite imagery, geological analysis, and technical assessment, she provides new, open-source intelligence on North Korea’s fissile material and nuclear weapons production capabilities. Her findings contribute to improved forecasting of future nuclear risks.
Dr. Sulgiye Park
Transpacific Collaboration Forum: Japan’s Partnering Strategy to Revitalize Its Semiconductor Industry
Forum speaker event. Keynote: “From System to Silicon: Japan’s Semiconductor and Economic Security Policy”
Kazumi Nishikawa, Yasu Ota
Fall Information Session: Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy
Join BRSL leadership for an overview of the Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy, including curriculum, application process, and career outcomes.
Building a Human-Rights–Compliant Spyware Market
This talk, cosponsored by the UC Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, looks at how a multibillion-dollar spyware industry—fueled by zero-day exploits and shielded by corporate obfuscation—has outmaneuvered every law, sanction, and enforcement measure thrown at it. Asaf Lubin, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, spoke with BRSL’s Elaine Korzak, challenging the seductive simplicity of global moratoriums on the industry, and showing how they offer little more than the illusion of safety. The talk lays out a bold blueprint for a multilateral regime that can reclaim control over current and future surveillance technologies before they irreversibly erode human rights and democratic governance.
Elaine Korzak, Asaf Lubin
The Question of Legitimacy in State Surveillance Operations
In this BRSL webinar, lawyer and independent consultant Sarah McKune shares her assessment of the normalization of digital surveillance operations and the fundamental question of surveillance legitimacy under international human rights law. This discussion, cosponsored by the UC Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, explored the essential components of a human rights law-compliant surveillance regime, and assessed existing gaps and challenges, drawing on the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and other international normative developments, with a special highlight on the crucial role of transparency.
Elaine Korzak, Sarah McKune
Managing Commercial Spyware Through Export Controls
A round-table style discussion of Dr. Elaine Korzak’s new paper Managing Commercial Spyware Through Export Controls co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. Dr. Korzak and BRSL Dir. Leah Walker moderated a discussion between guests James Shires, Co-Director of Virtual Routes and Managing Editor of Binding Hook; Andrew J. Grotto, research scholar and co-director, Program on Geopolitics, Technology, and Governance at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University; and Dr. Giacomo Persi Paoli, the Head of Programme Security and Technology at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
Elaine Korzak, James Shires, Andrew J. Grotto, Giacomo Persi Paoli, Leah Walker
