Panel: DEF CON Groups

Tips for starting and promoting DEFCON groups

• DEFCON groups originated from a desire to have a community without political affiliations
• DEFCON groups are now global and can be found on the DEFCON groups website
• If there isn't a group near you, start one
• To attract attendees, make the event meaningful and unique
• An anecdote about a child asking to learn how to break into banks emphasizes the importance of changing the narrative around hacking

A speaker at a career day spoke about hacking and afterwards a child asked if he could teach him how to break into banks without getting caught. This highlights the need to change the narrative around hacking and educate people on the ethical use of technology.

Do you love DEF CON? Do you hate having to wait for it all year? Well, thanks to DEF CON groups, you're able to carry the spirit of DEF CON with you year round, and with local people, transcending borders, languages, and anything else that may separate us!In this fireside chat, your DEF CON groups team who works behind the scenes to make DCG possible will invite group leaders to share how they started their groups, how they found meeting space, how they decide what content to present each meeting, and other topics. Potential new group leaders can find out how to start and run a local group, and existing group leaders and members can share and get operational ideas for running the best group possible. During the Fireside chat, we'll have the ability to keep it an open forum for questions and ideas, as well as a great opportunity to meet other groups.