EFF's excited to be back for another DEF CON with a membership booth in the Vendor area, two contests, and a bunch of talks. Be sure to catch us at the world's largest annual hacker convention in Las Vegas from August 7-9!
Join the Cause
Come find us in Vendor Hall West to learn more about the latest in online rights, get on our action alert list, or donate to become an EFF member. We'll also have our limited-edition DEF CON 34 shirts available! These shirts have a puzzle incorporated into the design. Try your hand at cracking it!
EFF Benefit Poker Tournament
We’re going all in on internet freedom. Take a break from hacking the Gibson to face off with your competition at the tables—and benefit EFF! Your buy-in is paired with a donation to support EFF’s mission to protect online privacy and free expression for all. Join us on Friday, August 7 at 12:00 at theHorseshoe Poker Room. Play for glory. Play for money. Play for the future of the web.
WHEN: Friday, August 7, 12:00-15:00
WHERE: Horseshoe Poker Room, 3645 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
EFF Tech Trivia @ DEF CON 34
Join us for some tech trivia on Saturday, August 8! EFF's privacy and security experts have crafted a new trivia challenge for DEF CON 34! Compete as a team in our no-holds-barred showdown to prove mastery over the obscure facts of digital security, online rights, and internet culture. The First Place team wins a set of custom Cybertiger Champion Badges and EFF swag. Second and third place teams will also win Badges and EFF gear. Invite your friends OR show up and make new friends! Did someone say BRIBES? The world is unfair! You too could influence the judges to add a point or two to your team's tally. Overall Bribe winner also wins a custom badge!
WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 17:00-20:00
WHERE: Contest Stage (near the entrance to Hall 1)
Privacy's Defender Book Signing with Cindy Cohn
Grab a copy of former EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn's new book, Privacy's Defender—and get it signed—while at DEF CON 34!
WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 11:00-12:00 AND 13:00-14:00
WHERE: Exhibit Hall West 4 (Book Signings)
EFF Talks at DEF CON 34
What Election Security Researchers Need to Know about Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
WHO: EFF Staff Attorney Tori Noble
WHEN: Friday, August 7, 10:30-11:00
WHERE: Voting Village
Privacy's Defender: How Hackers Protected the Internet Before and Can Do It Again
EFF's Outgoing Executive Director Cindy Cohn' presents her first-person stories from her recently published book, Privacy's Defender, that take you Inside the privacy battles that have shaped today's Internet. It includes the hackers who helped free up encryption technology from US governmental control, allowing us to have the still imperfect privacy and security we now have online, and the battles to stop the mass NSA spying and eternal gag orders that arose from the governments formerly secret mass spying programs in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. She then draws from that long career of legal activism to the fights of today and tomorrow, featuring the role that hackers can play in helping to bring about a better, more just future.
WHO: Former EFF Executive Director, Cindy Cohn
WHEN: Friday, August 7, 15:00-16:30
WHERE: Creator Stage 1
Why Mandatory Age Verification Keeps Us All Less Safe
WHO: EFF Director of Engineering Alexis Hancock & EFF Social Media and Video Manager Kenyatta Thomas
WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 13:30-14:30
WHERE: Creator Stage 7
ESP32 As A Counter-Surveillance Platform
Privacy should be accessible to all. Historically, counter-surveillance tools have been expensive, complex, and inaccessible to most individuals, often limited to well-funded researchers and costly hardware configurations. The ESP32 offers a transformative alternative. This presentation will demonstrate how an affordable microcontroller has become the foundation for a growing suite of open-source, user-friendly anti-surveillance tools. We will discuss the technical features that make the ESP32 a compelling choice for these applications, including passive 802.11 and Bluetooth monitoring, OUI-based device fingerprinting, and robust cryptographic capabilities. Applications include detecting police body cameras in operational environments, mapping Flock Safety automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) infrastructure, identifying unauthorized drones, detecting radio frequency jamming across 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and cellular bands, and tracking autonomous robots operating with known-vulnerable firmware. These tools are cost-effective and freely available. We will also consider future developments in accessible counter-surveillance hardware, such as the ESP32-S5 with 5GHz support, GPS, displays, haptics, etc. Advancing anti-surveillance culture requires designing devices that individuals are motivated to use and carry.
WHO: EFF Senior Staff Technologist Cooper Quintin
WHEN: Sunday, August 9, 10:00-11:00
WHERE: Main Track 1
Tactical Advocacy: Panel & Peer Sessions with EFF
WHO: EFF's Thorin Klosowski, Cooper Quintin, Alexis Hancock, Tori Noble, Rory Mir & Former EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn
WHEN: Sunday, August 9, 12:30-14:00
WHERE: Policy Village
Looking for Help?
As in past years, EFF staff attorneys will be present to help support the community. If you have legal concerns regarding an upcoming talk or sensitive infosec research that you are conducting at any time, please email info@eff.org. Outline the basic issues and we will do our best to connect you with the resources you need.
Read more about EFF's work defending, offering legal counsel, and publicly advocating for technologists on our Coders' Rights Project page.
