Edward Snowden | Whistleblower & Cybersecurity Expert
“Everything we do now lasts forever. Not because we want to remember, but because we are no longer allowed to forget,” asserts Edward Snowden, who risked everything when he exposed the system of mass surveillance and shocked the world in 2013, revealing that the U.S. government had the potential to collect every single phone call, text message and email of every person on the planet.
Former CIA officer and National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Snowden is the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Citizenfour and the critically acclaimed Oliver Stone film. As one of the world’s most passionate and authoritative voices on privacy, public interest and cybersecurity, he claims “Helping to create that system is my greatest regret,” evoking the theme of his memoir, Permanent Record. He served as president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation from 2016 to 2022, acting as a tireless advocate for press freedom, which helped him find a way to redemption and focus on protecting public-interest journalism and educating about the challenges borne out of the interweaving of privacy and technology.
A champion of privacy, Edward Snowden remains in the headlines where he speaks out about technologies and practices (increasingly by nongovernmental entities) that have created “the most effective means of social control in the history of our species.” This made Snowden a sought-after speaker who is featured only at some of the world’s best communications, marketing and tech events such as Web Summit, The Next Web and most recently at the American platform Decrypt. Just be patient – you will get your chance to listen to him and make your own conclusions in Rovinj very soon at DK2023, where Snowden will address the audience live from Moscow where he gained asylum after being prosecuted by the USA ten years ago for his infamous state surveillance revelations that made him the most wanted man in the world and discuss Restoring Trust – How To Solve The Next Generation of Privacy & Security Dilemmas.
Restoring Trust — How To Solve The Next Generation of Privacy & Security Dilemmas
If you had the chance, what would you ask one of the pioneers of fighting for privacy and cybersecurity? As we are among the few people who can speak directly with Edward Snowden live via videolink, it is apparent that this event is poised to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Snowden will not only talk about the upcoming predicaments when thinking about the future of security and share his insights on trust and transparency but also take questions from the audience – making DK2023 an event not to be missed.
Photo: Laura Poitras/ACLU