The past year has seen major disruptions at the intersection of security and society. “Cybersecurity” has been thrust into the public consciousness frighteningly widely and quickly. Issues of public policy impact our colleagues and our community, beyond the technology layer. Some in the public policy community are actively encouraging our community to engage, recognizing the need for a technically literate voice of reason from the security research community. DEF CON is proud to host two members of Congress, who braved their way from DC to DEF CON as ambassadors from their community to ours.
Joshua Corman will engage Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), in a candid, on-the-record “fireside chat” style conversation. DEF CON attendees will hear their perspectives on the state of cyber policy and what can be done to improve technical literacy in the dialogs. The members will also reflect on their experience at DEF CON, hanging out with hackers, and how they can make their voice known in the public policy conversation.