Peter Swire
Encyclopedia
Peter Swire is the C. William O'Neil Professor at the Moritz College of Law
of Ohio State University
and an internationally recognized expert in privacy law. Swire is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
. During the Clinton Administration, he became the first person to hold the position of Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Office of Management and Budget. In this role, he coordinated administration policy on privacy and data protection, including interfacing with privacy officials in foreign countries. He may be best known for shaping the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Privacy Rule while serving as the Chief Counselor for Privacy.
at Princeton
with a concentration in economics in 1980. Swire also earned a membership in the Phi Beta Kappa society. After earning his undergraduate degree, Swire studied at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
on a Rotary International Fellowship. In 1985, Swire graduated from Yale Law School
where he was the Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal
. Upon graduation, Swire clerked for the Honorable Ralph K. Winter, Jr.
at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1985 to 1986.
. Swire began teaching at Ohio State University
in 1996, but left the university in April 1999 to become the first Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Office of Budget and Management during the Clinton Administration.
As the Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Clinton administration, Swire became known as a behind-the-scenes go-to guy. Swire shepherded the creation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule by working with the Department of Health and Human Services to create a proposed privacy rule. The proposed privacy rule was opened up for public comment and generated over 52,000 comments. The final text of the rule was announced by President Bill Clinton
and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala
on December 20, 2000.
In early 2001, Swire resumed his position at Ohio State, where he teaches today. Since 2002, Swire has directed the Washington D.C. Summer Program for the Moritz College of Law. In 2005, Swire was named the C. William O'Neil Professor in Law and Judicial Administration at Ohio State. Swire has researched many elements of technology law, including privacy, data brokering, electronic surveillance, and computer security. He is the faculty editor of I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society
and with Lawrence Lessig
as the editor of Cyberspace Law Abstracts of the Social Science Research Network
.
In July 2009, Peter took leave from law teaching to enter the Obama Administration, in the National Economic Council
. He has been appointed as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.
Moritz College of Law
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law is a public law school and charter member of the Association of American Law Schools. According to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the Moritz College of Law is 35th in the nation overall and is in the top ten among public law schools. The...
of Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and an internationally recognized expert in privacy law. Swire is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
. During the Clinton Administration, he became the first person to hold the position of Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Office of Management and Budget. In this role, he coordinated administration policy on privacy and data protection, including interfacing with privacy officials in foreign countries. He may be best known for shaping the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It was originally sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. Nancy Kassebaum . Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their...
Privacy Rule while serving as the Chief Counselor for Privacy.
Education
Swire graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International AffairsWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
at Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with a concentration in economics in 1980. Swire also earned a membership in the Phi Beta Kappa society. After earning his undergraduate degree, Swire studied at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
on a Rotary International Fellowship. In 1985, Swire graduated from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
where he was the Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
. Upon graduation, Swire clerked for the Honorable Ralph K. Winter, Jr.
Ralph K. Winter, Jr.
Judge Ralph K. Winter, Jr. is a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. President Ronald Reagan nominated Winter on November 18, 1981, to a seat vacated by Walter Roe Mansfield. Judge Winter was confirmed by the Senate on December 9, 1981, and received his commission...
at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1985 to 1986.
Career
Swire started his professional career as an associate for Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy in Washington, D.C. In 1990, he began his academic career as an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia School of LawUniversity of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
. Swire began teaching at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1996, but left the university in April 1999 to become the first Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Office of Budget and Management during the Clinton Administration.
As the Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Clinton administration, Swire became known as a behind-the-scenes go-to guy. Swire shepherded the creation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule by working with the Department of Health and Human Services to create a proposed privacy rule. The proposed privacy rule was opened up for public comment and generated over 52,000 comments. The final text of the rule was announced by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalala served for eight years as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton and has been president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, since 2001. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest...
on December 20, 2000.
In early 2001, Swire resumed his position at Ohio State, where he teaches today. Since 2002, Swire has directed the Washington D.C. Summer Program for the Moritz College of Law. In 2005, Swire was named the C. William O'Neil Professor in Law and Judicial Administration at Ohio State. Swire has researched many elements of technology law, including privacy, data brokering, electronic surveillance, and computer security. He is the faculty editor of I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society
I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society
I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society is a law journal covering the intersection of law, policy, and information technology. The journal is published as a partnership between the Moritz College of Law and the Heinz College . It was established in 2005 and publishes three...
and with Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence "Larry" Lessig is an American academic and political activist. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive...
as the editor of Cyberspace Law Abstracts of the Social Science Research Network
Social Science Research Network
The Social Science Research Network is a website devoted to the rapid dissemination of scholarly research in the social sciences and humanities. SSRN is viewed as particularly strong in the fields of economics, finance, accounting, management, and law. SSRN was founded in 1994 by Michael Jensen ...
.
In July 2009, Peter took leave from law teaching to enter the Obama Administration, in the National Economic Council
National Economic Council
The National Economic Council of the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering economic policy matters, separate from matters relating to domestic policy, which are the domain of the Domestic Policy Council...
. He has been appointed as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.
See also
- NSA warrantless surveillance controversyNSA warrantless surveillance controversyThe NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States during the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency as part of the war on terror...
- Security through obscuritySecurity through obscuritySecurity through obscurity is a pejorative referring to a principle in security engineering, which attempts to use secrecy of design or implementation to provide security...
- I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information SocietyI/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information SocietyI/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society is a law journal covering the intersection of law, policy, and information technology. The journal is published as a partnership between the Moritz College of Law and the Heinz College . It was established in 2005 and publishes three...
- Patriot DebatesPatriot DebatesThe American Bar Association passed resolutions on the USA PATRIOT Act that asked the U.S. Government "to conduct a thorough review of the implementation of the powers granted to the Executive Branch under the Act before considering legislation that would extend or further expand such powers ...."...
- USA PATRIOT Act, Title IIUSA PATRIOT Act, Title IIThe USA PATRIOT Act was passed by the United States Congress in 2001 as a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. It has ten titles, each containing numerous sections. Title II: Enhanced Surveillance Procedures granted increased powers of surveillance to various government agencies and bodies...