DEF CON 21 Un-Invites Feds Over NSA Spying

from the why-can't-we-be-friends? dept

The fallout over the NSA leaks has been wide and varied, as you'd expect. Pissed off foreign nations are looking to offer leaker Edward Snowden asylum in a manner that almost seems punitive. College kids are giving NSA recruiters the proverbial business on campuses. And even if there is still some support for the invasive program, or otherwise apathy towards it, generally the public has been giving the spy agency a verbal middle finger.

Now we can add DEF CON, the enormously popular hackers conference, to the list of displeased parties. As a result of the recent revelations, DEF CON founder Jeff Moss has indicated that the feds are not welcome at the upcoming DEF CON 21.

"When it comes to sharing and socialising with feds, recent revelations have made many in the community uncomfortable about this relationship," Moss said. "Therefore, I think it would be best for everyone involved if the feds call a time-out and not attend DEF CON this year."

This may be a bigger deal than it would first appear. A great deal tends to come out of these conferences, which are built on an open dialogue about security and research with the hacker culture. It should also be noted that the feds have provided serious contributions to the conference in the past.

Alas, when you undertake to treat everyone like an enemy, you should expect to be treated likewise. A shame.

Filed Under: def con, nsa, privacy, surveillance