BSides Berlin

Welcome Words

Opening Keynote Marie Gutbub

We partied like it was 1984. 10 years after Snowden: The good, the bad and all the things we're still waiting for.

In 2013, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden dropped a bomb: Together with journalists, he leaked and published a large number of classified documents that showed the world the extent of US surveillance capabilities. Many people were confronted for the first time with the idea that if we continue to use technology in general, and the internet in particular, as we have been doing, privacy is dead. As is often the case with such revelations, the leak was followed by a period of intense activity around privacy and security. People mobilized, bottom-up privacy movements emerged, we campaigned, protested, questioned our governments and taught each other how to evade surveillance. Some donated money and time to support those who made our communications more secure, foundations funded privacy initiatives. We made songs about privacy, movies about surveillance, put CryptoParty stickers on every laptop and bathroom door we came across, and spread tons of memes. Every movement eventually loses momentum. Crisis follows crisis, personal and societal focus shifts. As incredible as it sounds, it's been ten years. What did we ask for in 2013, what were our hopes and beliefs? Where have we succeeded, where have we failed and how have our expectations changed?