Panel Details for SXSWi Announced

SXSW Interactive is less than a month away and the i2Coalition is excited to be part of the action! Our team has been actively engaged in SXSW annually since our launch in 2012 and this year will be no exception. As you know, every year thousands travel to Austin, Texas to be part of the interactive technologies, music scene, and engaging dialogues all part of SXSW.

The i2Coalition and our members are eager to join in and help organize what promises to be an exceptional conference. We’re proud to be co-sponsoring member company Golden Frog’s 3rd Annual “Take Back the Internet” SXSW party on Monday, March 16. The fun starts at 6:00 PM at the Palm Door on Sixth (508 Old Pecan Street) and will go through the late evening with live music, networking, and great food. The event will feature a lively panel discussion seeking to answer: “Does Net Neutrality Really Mean Open Internet?” Gigi Sohn, Marvin Ammori of Ammori Group, Edward Henigin of Data Foundry, Chip Pickering of Comptel, and James Waterwork of CCIA Europe will be there to weigh in. The party and panel are free, but an RSVP is required. Register today!

The i2Coalition’s main event will be held on Saturday, March 14! Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL) will be joining Membership Director Hilary Van Der Meulen and Sunday Yokubaitis, President of Golden Frog, for the “Net Infrastructure: The Economy’s Hidden Backbone” panel. The informative discussion will be held at the Omni Downtown Capital Ballroom at 12:30-1:30 PM local time. Please be sure to follow #sxsw and #PolicyLabs on Twitter to stay up to date.

The i2Coalition is part of a number of other panels as well! Last October, we announced that our “Government Surveillance: How You Can Change It” would be featured at SXSW. Panelists include i2Coalition Chairman Christian Dawson, VP and General Counsel Ben Young of member company Peer 1 Hosting, Harley Geiger, Senior Counsel at the Center for Democracy and Ellen Dargie, Counsel to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). The details are announced! The panel will be held on Saturday, March 14 from 3:30-4:30 PM local time in Room 9ABC at the Austin Convention Center. Not in Austin? Follow the Twitter hashtags #sxsw and GovPrivacy for the latest updates.

In addition, Open-Xchange CEO Rafael Laguna is hosting the “Rebels Without a Clause: Rethinking Terms of Service” roundtable about data privacy dilemma and who is helping to fix it. Mike Farrell, editor of Passcode, will be moderating the discussion on Monday, March 16 at 2:00 PM local time at German Haus. Check out the #PrivacyDilemma hashtag on Twitter for a play by play.

Learn more about the panels:

Net Infrastructure: The Economy’s Hidden Backbone
Join I2C, US policymakers, and tech leaders to discuss the issues facing tech, innovation, and entrepreneurs in the new Congress. The New Economy is driven by founders, funders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and the consumers who fuel them. For decades, US policymakers have been behind the pace of innovation and seemingly too inundated by the rapidly changing landscape to sort through the noise and launch policies to protect both the consumer and the competitive landscape. Until now. Join Washington’s public and private sector champions of innovation and entrepreneurs for a series of discussions on the 114th Congress’ challenges and opportunities; the likelihood of progress on privacy, patent reform, capital access, open internet, spectrum allocation, and cybersecurity; and what YOU can do to make a difference. The Internet Infrastructure Coalition supports those who build the nuts and bolts of the Internet, and we treat it like the noble profession that it is. Presented by the Dell ATC Policy Labs.

Government Surveillance: How You Can Change It
Governments have a duty to protect their citizens, but recent disclosures about Americas surveillance practice’s worldwide highlighted a need for reform. The balance in too many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual – rights that are enshrined in our Constitution. We have seen a lot of change in attitude, but is it enough to restore trust among users and confidence of citizens around the world? The panel will discuss the need for the technology community to push reform. While efforts are underway, the PATRIOT Act must be reauthorized by May 2015. Learn what we must reform to protect the Internet and privacy rights.

Rebels Without a Clause: Rethinking Terms of Service
A roundtable on the #PrivacyDilemma and the voices leading the charge to fix it. Why do users stay loyal to services even if they distrust them? If no one reads Terms of Service, is there hope for a more trustworthy Web? How broad is the Trans-Atlantic trust gap: and why are Europeans more skeptical of online services than their American counterparts? What is the best way to ‘open up’ the broken Internet – through policy, new technology, interoperability, opting out, or all of the above? It will take years to sort out the data privacy dilemma, but we need governance now to fix the Internet. Come enjoy the German Haus and join the technology leaders, policy advocates, security and privacy experts that are taking the first ‘bytes’ out of the Data States problem. The roundtable panel, hosted by Open-Xchange CEO Rafael Laguna and moderated by Passcode editor Mike Farrell, will share the findings of the Consumer Openness Index — an annual report examining the values, attitudes and behaviors of Internet users towards their online freedom, privacy, terms of service, data ownership — and the requirements towards openness of online providers. The open conversation that follows will chart a course past today’s data silos towards an open and free Internet, and the standards needed for innovation and transparent value to survive.

Will you be at SXSW? If you’re a member or looking to learn more about the i2Coalition, please contact us at [email protected] to share your SXSW plans with us. We’d like to connect while we’re in Texas! If you’re a member and planning an event at SXSW, please send us the details, so we can help promote them!

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