Freaked out by spiralling revelations of NSA surveillance? Worried that the spooks have subverted the internet at every level to make it a vast, multi-layered panopticon? Or simply creeped out by the way services like Facebook & Gmail track everything you do so they can profile you for advertising?
Whatever your paranoia, now is not the time to give up on the internet. It's time for a CryptoFestival! On November 30th we're coming together to build on the success of the CryptoParty movement and to reclaim our right to communicate and experiment on the internet.
CryptoParties have taught thousands of people the basic ways of protecting themselves and their data from intrusive surveillance. London CryptoFestival will have skill-sharing sessions on how to have private conversations over instant messaging, how to encrypt emails, how to browse anonymously and how to reliably encrypt your hard disk amongst other things. It's peer-against-fear; the self-organised activity of people teaching each other essential privacy skills.
But we aren't naïve enough to think crypto alone will save us. There's more to freedom than hiding, (and even crypto is being bent out of shape). Silicon Valley's stalking-based business model has merged with the GCHQ and the NSA's Eye of Sauron. The whole infrastructure is at risk of becoming an abuse machine. We don't care if it's the FBI behind the hijacked webcam or some other masturbatory misfit. An open and free internet is a core part of our social lives and our society and we want it back.
Governments and corporations have shown themselves to be untrustworthy stewards of the internet. At CryptoFestival we'll look at practical alternatives; from metadata-stripping to mesh networks, from autonomous community wifi to the potential of the ex-TV whitespace spectrum. But we'll also discuss the forms of social solidarity and governance we need to sustain our global commons.
Come and join us for workshops, stalls, lightening talks, longer addresses by international experts and more. Even better, add something of your own. If you or a group you're part of have something to share then please join in. Add stuff to this wiki and sign-up for regular updates on eventbrite.