John Kiriakou
Saturday, August 16, 2025: 4:00 pm (Marillac Auditorium): As a former CIA officer who exposed the agency's torture program, John Kiriakou paid the price with his freedom. In addition to disclosing wrongdoing, he understands surveillance from the inside. This talk brings together that firsthand knowledge with a challenge to the hacker community: we must pursue a cybersecurity model rooted in cooperation, transparency, and peace rather than conflict. This talk will explain how today's digital ecosystems - including both software and hardware - are vulnerable not only to technical compromise but also to political manipulation. The threats we face are not just from malicious actors or hostile governments, but from within our own systems. Co-opted code, opaque procurement processes, and surveillance-by-design continue to erode public trust. It is time to reclaim the hacker ethos and direct it toward a global cyber peace movement. Here you will learn why hackers, technologists, and civil society must lead this effort, and how the only sustainable security is one built collaboratively, with integrity and purpose.