Passcode at SXSW: Ad blockers, spies, hackers, and Hollywood
For a third straight year, Passcode is bringing a crew of digital security and privacy all-stars to the Austin festival, to chat about the future of biometric tracking, the security risks of smart streets, and so much more.聽
Stay tuned for more information about Passcode events. In the meantime, bookmark our four panels. And if you can鈥檛 make it to Austin, follow our trip on聽.
Friday, March 10:聽
Advanced biometric technology is starting to track us everywhere we go. Airports are experimenting with using iris scans as boarding passes. Credit card companies want your selfie or heartbeat to authorize digital payments. And the FBI wants to create the world鈥檚 largest and most efficient electronic repository of biometric information to help track criminals, replete with iris scans and palm prints. What are the privacy implications of technology that, quite literally, never forgets a face? Will increasingly sophisticated biometric tracking make society safer and daily life more convenient 鈥� or will it usher in a new era of surveillance?
Featuring:聽James Baker, FBI; Brian Brackeen, Kairos; Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing. Moderated by Sara Sorcher, Passcode.聽Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon G. 5 - 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 11:聽
The rise of ad blocking has sparked a fierce battle that鈥檚 pitting privacy groups against publishers. Ad-blocking advocates hail the technology as helping rid the web of annoying and slow-loading ads, pervasive tracking and malware. But publishers say the technology is taking money out of their pockets and crippling their ability to produce journalism. Now, media outlets are appealing to readers to disable their blockers. Critics even suggest the software is unethical. Yet, ad blockers are proliferating. But is there a middle ground? Can publishers improve the ad experience to persuade readers to turn off blockers? Or will ad blockers bring about the end of the free web?
Featuring:聽Brendan Eich, Brave Software; Jason Kint, Digital Content Next; Meredith Kopit Levien, The New York Times. Moderated by David Grant, 海角大神.聽Hyatt Regency Austin, Ballroom 1-3. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14:聽
In cities around the world, street lights, public transit systems, and electric meters are already connected to the internet. Soon, smartphone controlled, self-driving cars will roam cities and every part of the urban fabric could be Wi-Fi enabled. While tomorrow鈥檚 smart cities will usher in efficiencies and convenience, they鈥檒l also bring about security threats and vulnerabilities. Hackers have already demonstrated they can remotely take over cars and switch off traffic lights. So, how can urban planners and engineers build cities of the future that are resilient enough to guard against cunning criminal hackers who may want to bring Singapore or San Francisco to a grinding halt?
Featuring: Tom Cross, Drawbridge Networks; Robert Hansen, founder of OutsideIntel. Moderated by Nadya Bliss, Global Security Initiative, Arizona State University.聽JW Marriott Salon 6. 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14:聽
From 鈥淲arGames鈥� to 鈥淢r. Robot,鈥� Hollywood is fascinated with technology鈥檚 impact on society. The 1983 film 鈥淲arGames鈥� had such an impression on President Reagan that it influenced national policy on cyberweapons. Technology continues to provide endless sources of inspiration for writers, directors, and producers. Join producer Walter Parkes, who cowrote 鈥淲arGames,鈥� Brian Knappenberger, director of 鈥淭he Internet鈥檚 Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz,鈥� and Julie Bush, screenwriter on Universal鈥檚 鈥淭he Sigma Protocol鈥� and host of the podcast Threat Surface, for a discussion on how film affects policies and public opinion when it comes to digital surveillance, privacy, and cybersecurity.
Featuring:聽Brian Knappenberger, Luminant Media; Walter Parkes, Parkes Macdonald Productions; Julie Bush, screenwriter. Moderated by Michael Farrell, Passcode.聽Austin Convention Center, Room 16AB. 2 - 3 p.m.
Want to see something else from Passcode at SXSW?聽Send us an e-mail聽and let us know!
