The internet is still largely centralized, and not every country
has strong institutional controls preserving the right to access
information or speak freely. Heck, even many "liberal democracies"
are backsliding. While this may sound like an infosec talk suited for
the think tank crowd, these developments are impacting hackers and the
results they present at hacker cons.
Internet freedom tools are about empowering users to have the safety to
make their own priorities. While China, Iran, and Russia are obviously
key concerns in this space, many other countries are seeking to enact
new laws and regulations that impact all types of users -- some with
nefarious intent and others just accidentally harmful.
This conversation will explore the reasons, the symptoms, and some
ideas about how to preserve our ability to set our own priorities. We
will offer a holistic and detailed picture of how censorship affects
our work and that of our colleagues -- how even if you feel secure in
the freedom you have where you are right now, government censorship and
surveillance in other places will unquestionably affect us all.