SXSW 2015 Slides and Audio from Fingerprints are Usernames, Not Passwords

This morning, I led a "core conversation" session in the Security and Privacy track at SXSW Interactive festival.  With 60 seats in the room, it was standing room only, and unfortunately, some people were turned away from the session due to a lack of space.  Amazingly, that was a packed house at 9:30am on a Sunday morning, merely stumbling distance from the late night party that is 6th Street in Austin, Texas!

I'm pleased to share with you both the slides, as well as a rudimentary audio recording from the mic on my laptop.  The format of a "core conversation" at SXSW is not your typical conference lecture.  Rather, it's an interactive, dynamic, social exchange of ideas and thoughts.  I hope you enjoy!

Slides:


Audio:


Have a great South-by!
Dustin

Is privacy really yours?

I'm trying desperately to hold private my opinions about the latest revelations on the ways and means of modern espionage, its targets, and rationalizations.

But I find this logic, from Congressman Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Intelligence committee, quite dangerous...

He says, and I quote:

"You can't have your privacy violated if you don't know your privacy is violated".

While the United States laws on privacy are complicated, I feel that this is so awfully wrong :-(

Criminal voyeurism is illegal.  Date rape is illegal.  This is not a thought experiment.  If a tree falls in the forest, there is a tree on the ground irrespective of its audiology.

Comprehend Congressman Rogers' same logic applied to Rohypnol.  Or a video camera hidden in a dressing room.  These are blatant crimes, whether or not the victims are aware of the violations of their privacy.

This recent TED talk, by Mikko Hypponen, is incredibly thought provoking.  Chillingly, he quips, "Orwell was an optimist".  Yikes.  On a happier note, I'm almost positive his slides in this talk use the Ubuntu font.  Presumably he delivered this presentation in Brussells from an Ubuntu PC?




Dustin