Saturday, July 19, 2014: 4:00 pm (Olson): The LEAP Encryption Access Project is dedicated to giving all Internet users access to secure communication. Their focus is on adapting encryption technology to make it easy to use and widely available. Like free speech, the right to whisper is a necessary precondition for a free society. Without it, civil society languishes and political freedoms are curtailed. As the importance of digital communication for civic participation increases, so too does the importance of the ability to digitally whisper. When you attempt to secure your communications online, you are faced with confusing software, a dearth of secure service providers, and involuntary leakage of critical information. For aspiring service providers, barriers to entry include the high cost and technical complexity of setting up secure servers. LEAP's goal is to transform secure online communication from an exercise in frustration into an automated and straightforward process for those whose access to information and free expression depend upon confidentiality, authenticity, and the protection of their social networks. Come to this talk to hear about LEAP's unique strategic infrastructure approach taking federated standards and open protocols to tackle these problems and find out how you can too. Also, there will be pretty pictures of birds.

Micah Anderson