Caveat
Hosted by Dave Bittner & Ben Yelin
A journalist and a lawyer explain the week's surveillance, privacy and cyber law fights in plain English.
- Level
- Beginner, no security background needed
- Status
- Active, last episode
- Who's behind it
- Media outlet, N2K Networks sourcePart of the N2K CyberWire network; ad-supported.
- Last verified
- Transcripts for every episode
Listed underGRC and privacy
Editorial take
The easiest way for a security person to keep up with cyber law. Dave Bittner of N2K CyberWire brings the stories, Ben Yelin of the University of Maryland explains the case law, and each weekly 35 to 50 minute episode pairs their story discussion with an interview or a policy segment from N2K analyst Ethan Cook. Topics run from Section 702 and geofence warrants to SBOM mandates, AI regulation and the new hack-back memorandum. Yelin is careful to separate what the law says from what he thinks, which makes it trustworthy for students. The limitation is US focus: EU and UK law appears only when it touches American companies, and the AI policy run in 2026 crowds out some classic security topics. Full transcripts are published for every episode.
Last hand-checked 2026-09-30.
Listen if you …
- work in security and need to understand surveillance, privacy and cyber law without a law degree
- are studying governance and compliance and want real cases behind the frameworks
- already listen to CyberWire Daily and want the legal angle on the same stories
Skip if you …
- you need EU or UK depth, coverage is mostly US
- you want technical analysis of attacks, this is law and policy
Start with these 3 episodes
- 01
· 40 min · Beginner
A live debate any security listener can follow: what changes when private companies may hit back.
- 02
· 46 min · Beginner
Representative of the show: a surveillance law fight explained by a lawyer who reads the text.
- 03
· 43 min · Practitioner
Where policy meets the software supply chain: what rescinding federal SBOM requirements means for vendors.
About the show
Caveat is N2K CyberWire's weekly podcast on surveillance, digital privacy and cybersecurity law and policy, hosted by Dave Bittner and Ben Yelin of the University of Maryland. Each episode combines a discussion of current legal cases and policy fights with an interview or an analyst segment.
The show launched in October 2019 and has passed 320 numbered episodes, plus encores and live recordings. Episodes run about 35 to 55 minutes, and each episode page on thecyberwire.com carries a full transcript.
Notable guests
- Andy Boyd
- Jeff Reich
- Anil John
- Melissa Oh
- Jean-Paul Bergeaux
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