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Help Passcode get to SXSW

Check out the security and privacy panels that Passcode proposed for the upcoming South By Southwest Interactive festival – and vote!

  • By Malena Carollo Staff writer

The Passcode team is headed to the Lone Star State once again to talk security and privacy at the South By Southwest Interactive festival.

Earlier this year, Passcode made its debut at the festival in Austin. Speakers explored pressing questions of our Digital Age, including how data collected about consumers online could be used to discriminate against them in real life.

This year, Passcode lined up an all-star list of panelists for the March 2016 session – and we need your help. 

The public can vote on panels they want to see represented. If you are a security and privacy buff, or just want to see the Monitor at the festival, please share our panels across your social networks – and vote! 

While it's not the only factor determine which panels are selected, it's a major consideration. Voting is open through Sept. 4.

Here are the Passcode panels in the running for SXSW 2016:

Generation #Selfie: Do teens care about privacy?

The vast majority of teenagers today use smartphones, and a quarter say that they are online "almost constantly." Much of their lives live on the Web: selfies, emotional updates, trends they find interesting. Are they changing our definition of privacy?

Our panelists, including Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing, John Shahidi of selfie-sharing app Shots, and Mary Madden of the Data & Society Research Institute, will discuss whether they believe teens are oblivious to privacy concerns or outpacing adults with awareness of privacy hazards, such as blocking parents or teachers from viewing posts.

Can teens understand the potentially lasting real-life consequences of posting online? The answers will have a profound impact on companies and marketers targeting young consumers. Do companies have a responsibility to help them protect their privacy? VOTE for this panel. 

Smartwatch or spyware? Considering privacy and the Internet of Things

The spread of Internet-enabled gadgets means that more data is collected about our daily lives than ever before. Smartwatches track locations and health conditions while in-home devices learn our daily habits. Combined with big data, this information reveals an intimate portrait. And with the number of connected things expected to hit 25 billion by 2020, tech companies are poised to have incredible insight into consumer behavior.

Yet all of this innovation raises privacy concerns. Policymakers are already urging companies to safeguard this data, which is already being used in lawsuits. And if consumers feel their privacy is threatened, they may turn their backs on the Internet of Things. Panelists Julie Brill of the Federal Trade Commission, cybersecurity expert Michelle Dennedy, and Ruby Zefo of Intel Corporation will discuss privacy and the Internet of Things. VOTE for this panel. 

Cryptowars 2.0: Silicon Valley vs. Washington

To fight hackers and eavesdropping governments, companies such as Apple and Google moved to deploy especially fortified security protections. But US officials say this default encryption in consumer devices prevents them from catching terrorists and criminals – and want companies to weaken their encryption to give them easier access. Should they? 

Legendary University of Pennsylvania cryptographer Matt Blaze, RSA President Amit Yoran, and former NSA general counsel Stewart Baker will debate what they think is the right balance between protecting people's personal privacy and the country's security. The outcome of the national debate will have a profound impact on the future of the internet. If the US wins a back door, will other countries demand them, too? VOTE for this panel.

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