Statue of Liberty image Copyright 2007 by gadl, used under Creative Commons license.
Electronic Frontiers Forums is independently produced and has no official connection to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, though we greatly admire their work. Electronic Frontiers Forums originated with Electronic Frontiers Georgia, an independent local activist group.
In recent years, state legislators have begun tackling digital civil liberties issues, including broadband privacy, consumers drones, surveillance technology, and virtual currency. In this panel, we will discuss recent trends at our state capitols and how we can organize to pass and kill bills.
Crypto Challenge returns for 2017! Can you solve ALL of the puzzles? Rules for the Crypto Challenge will be explained, with perhaps an early hint or two being given. Learn where to get the puzzles and how to submit your answers.
Michael Strickland
Hilton Room 214, Attendance: 90
[ Not recorded. ]
11:30 a.m.
Funding Tech Startups
It takes money to make money! So how do you get started? VC, Kickstarter, incubators, self-funded/slow growth, family loans, bank loans? What are the promises and pitfalls of each?
Internet Marketing (for Authors): Conquering Social Media
Tips, tricks, and advice for the novice or seasoned authors to navigate Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. We will take a brief look at the various platforms where authors promote, and break down the common themes for utilizing them for maximum engagement in conjunction with book sales.
Gail Z. Martin, Sascha Illyvich (Moderator), Jim Nettles, Mallory Whitfield
Journalism and Freedom of the Press in the Current Era
The ‘opposition’ press is under fire like never before. What are today’s reporters and publishers having to deal with, and how will freedom of speech and freedom of the press survive in this new challenging era?
Blair B. Chintella (Moderator), William C. Nevin, TJ Mihill, Nathan White, K’Tetch
Both Congress and the FCC are racing to dispose of the protections gained in 2015 under Title II regulations. Why is this happening, and what are the risks to the Internet we all know and love?
Randal L. Schwartz, Meredith Rose, Andrew Glazier (Moderator), Kara Chappell, Nathan White
You or your client has just been hacked. What do you do? We will take an incident response look at the first critical steps when triaging a cyber incident, including technical and legal considerations, an incident response checklist, and the tools and methods to counter attacks.
Legal, Litigation, and Security Issues of Self-Driving Cars
Self-driving cars seem so promising and scary at the same time. How safe are they really? What about hacking the sensors? And will ransomware someday threaten to kill owners unless a ransom is paid?
Randal L. Schwartz (Moderator), Kara Chappell, TJ Mihill, Jim Nettles, Ishan K. Mehta
Internet-Connected Sex Toys: Privacy, Security, Safety
Networked sex toys pose a threat to users not only because of the vast intimate information they may collect, but also because of their potential to be hacked in ways that could especially violate users. They are a prime example of the need for rules and standards on digital security.
Amie Stepanovich (Moderator), Meredith Rose, Jim Nettles, Adrianne McDonald
California and You: The Reach of California Privacy Laws
California is leading the way in protecting its citizens’ online privacy, augmenting federal protections and enforcing new laws. But its actions may benefit all Internet users across the country and beyond. Learn how California is expanding your privacy rights.
Google’s Dart: Why It Should Be the Next Language You Learn
People aware of Google’s Dart generally lump it in with Typescript or some other JavaScript enhancement. But Dart is much more than that: It’s a versatile strongly-typed modern language with excellent tooling. Dart is also at the core of the Fuschia framework that targets the Internet Of Things.
Embattled former FBI Director James Comey was adamant about having backdoors into mobile devices. Why was Apple so right to resist Comey’s demands, and what does the future hold with new leadership at the FBI?
Kurt Opsahl (Moderator), Amie Stepanovich, Matt Blaze, Ishan K. Mehta
Law enforcement agencies at all levels now routinely check social media as a part of investigations. Mass monitoring is also used, and social media identities are now being demanded for international travel in some cases. What are the implications, and how constitutional is all of this?
Randal L. Schwartz, Amie Stepanovich (Moderator), Gennie Gebhart, TJ Mihill
The CBS show “Hunted” shows how easy it is for private investigators to track everyday people using ordinary technology and digital data. How real is this, and how exposed are our everyday lives using technology we take for granted, without considering the full implications?
Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality: How Crazy Can the Future Really Get?
We are just scratching the surface of virtual reality, augmented reality, and immersive tech. Zombie games, Saturn voyages, military exercises, 360-degree movies: That’s just the beginning of a universe of applications. What are the possibilities of mixed reality tech, and what do we have to lose?
A discussion on the rapidly advancing technologies and the societal influences and impacts on sex and sexuality, artificial companionship, the digital age, and virtual relationships.
The Techdirt technology blog is facing a lawsuit from someone who claims to have invented email. What is a SLAPP suit, and does this suit qualify? What are reasonable defenses against such a suit, and what protections should be provided as a matter of policy?
What do all of these have in common? A sculpture in the center of CIA Headquarters. A 500-year-old manuscript hidden in Yale University’s Beinecke library. A 19th century pamphlet describing a buried treasure in Virginia. An encrypted scrawl by composer Edward Elgar.
After key escrow and Clipper Chip were defeated in the 90’s, the crypto wars have flared up again, with governments around the world demanding broad access to crypto-protected data. What happens if governments get everything they are asking for, and how can our digital lives be defended?
Blair B. Chintella, Kurt Opsahl (Moderator), Amie Stepanovich, Matt Blaze
One of today’s hottest targets for hackers is mobile apps. Hackers are exploiting mistakes made by app developers. In this discussion, you will see attack vectors for mobile apps and see real examples of vulnerable applications and how they were exploited.
What is fake news and what kind of risk does it present to society? How can we defend ourselves from this threat and yet maintain a right to free expression? Does truth even matter any more on electronic media?
Blair B. Chintella (Moderator), Amie Stepanovich, Gennie Gebhart, William C. Nevin, K’Tetch
Knowing and asserting your rights along with common sense can greatly improve the outcome of any police encounter. Documentary by flexyourrights.org. A question and answer session will follow the film.
Q&A from our panel of experts; play “stump the hacker”! We’ll also be running a special edition of Network King of the Hill hacking contest. Bring your own laptop or use one of the extras we have available.
Randal L. Schwartz, Matt Blaze, jonny X (Moderator), David Benas, Ray Kelly, saurik
Cosplay Supreme Court Case (Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands)
A Supreme Court case regarding cheerleader uniforms could make all cosplay into copyright infringement in the U.S. What does this case say about cosplay and what are the implications?
Courtney Lytle, Meredith Rose (Moderator), TJ Mihill
What is niche marketing for writers, and what are the special considerations that writers face when writing for niche markets? Are there truly financial opportunities to be had in writing for niche markets? What makes the most business sense?
Gail Z. Martin, Sascha Illyvich (Moderator), Tyra A. Burton, Jim Nettles, Mallory Whitfield
The mysterious Order of the Knights Templar is often referred to in modern books, films, and games. How much is known about this organization? Were they really associated with the Holy Grail? The Priory of Sion? Freemasonry?
Vault 7 is a leak of hacking tools and techniques used by the CIA for covert surveillance. What are the implications of the techniques being used in our everyday lives? What is the harm if any done to U.S. interests by disclosure of these tools and techniques?
Blair B. Chintella (Moderator), Matt Blaze, Nathan White, Ishan K. Mehta
01-StateActivism.mp3
01-StateActivism.ogg