SXSW Panel Picker: On Your Mark, Get Set, Vote!

SXSW Interactive is set for March 2015 in Austin, Texas and the i2Coalition will be there promoting Internet freedom! Every year thousands of enthusiasts from around the globe flock to the capitol of the Lone Star State for the great music, Tex-Mex cuisine, and to experience the latest technologies.  The i2Coalition has been actively engaged in SXSW for the past two years and we look forward to continuing that tradition in full force.

This time we’re involved with three panels and, once again, need your help! The SXSW PanelPicker is open and ready for action. Please cast your vote for our panels and help us spread the word:

• The Surveillance State vs. the Encryption Economy
• The NSA is Killing the Cloud & How to Stop Them
• Government Surveillance: How You Can Change It

Learn more about the proposed discussions below and please remember to give each a thumbs up before voting closes on September 5!

The Surveillance State vs. the Encryption Economy
Speakers: i2Coalition Chairman Christian Dawson and i2Coalition Public Policy Working Group Chair David Snead
Cloud customers don’t accept the status quo of mass dragnet Internet surveillance, and it’s causing real harm to growth in the Cloud. We are on the verge of a Cold War of the surveillance state versus the encryption economy and our technology companies will lead the charge to make it more difficult and expensive for the surveillance state to operate. The tax burden of what the NSA is currently doing is sure to spiral as we exercise our legal rights to protect our users, as they require us to do – and the NSA hasn’t been forthcoming about the true value of their efforts – while we are experiencing real harm. The era of “just trust us” is over and if the tech community can’t fix things legislatively they need to do things technologically.

This workshop will bring technology leaders together to discuss what the tech community needs to do – focusing on encryption and transparency – in order to move the Internet past the real harm that the actions of the NSA have caused. VOTE NOW!

The NSA is Killing the Cloud & How to Stop Them
Speaker: i2Coalition Chairman Christian Dawson
Increased awareness about government surveillance practices has changed the way society understands privacy, values and due process of the law, leaving individuals and businesses unsure about who has access to their private information. The trust of our customers is the currency upon which the Internet economy is built. It’s foundation, the Internet infrastructure industry, must collaborate with others who have a stake in its success to show the world that the United States takes privacy seriously. We are already seeing an international backlash to the activities of the NSA as individual countries and regions seek to implement policies that will fragment the Internet into localized networks. This would discount all the principles that have led to our industry’s massive success. The tech community must work together to ensure that significant reforms are made to maintain the open and free nature of the Internet as we know it. VOTE NOW!

Government Surveillance: How You Can Change It
Speakers: i2Coalition Chairman Christian Dawson, Harley Geiger from Center for Democracy & Technology, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Ben Young from Peer 1 Hosting.
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. VOTE NOW!