The Electronic Frontier Foundation presents: Iranian Protests And Digital Media August 3, 2009

[ Please RSVP to events@eff.org, NOT just on Upcoming. Seating is limited. ]

$20 admission donation; no one turned away for lack of funds

Follow the event live here: http://www.livestream.com/parisoma

WHAT:
The recent protests over the elections in Iran have shown that social media can be a force for good -- and a target for misinformation and censorship. How can technologists build tools for freedom, and defend Net users around the world?

WHO:
Danny O'Brien is The Electronic Frontier Foundation's International Outreach Coordinator. He works to help us collaborate with organizations and individuals fighting for liberties across the world. Danny has documented and fought for digital rights in the UK for over a decade, where he also assisted in building tools of open democracy like Fax Your MP. He founded the award-winning NTK newsletter, has written and presented science and travel shows for the BBC, performed a solo show about the Net in the London's West End, and once successfully lobbied a cockney London pub to join Richard M. Stallman in a spontaneous demonstration of Bulgarian folk dance.

Cyrus Farivar is a freelance technology journalist, a freelance radio reporter/producer, and is a wanderlust geek who lives in the city of Oakland, California. He regularly reports for National Public Radio, The World (WGBH/PRI/BBC), and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also freelances for The Economist, Foreign Policy, Slate, The New York Times, Popular Mechanics, and Wired. He is currently working on a book, The Internet of Elsewhere, about the history and effects of the Internet on different countries around the world, including Senegal, Iran, Estonia and South Korea. It is due out from Rutgers University Press in 2010.

Austin Heap is an entrepreneur and technologist, whose works centers on developing Internet based technologies for establishing rapid transfer of knowledge between people, groups, and organizations. Building on his past work, he is currently working on designing and developing Internet- based technologies that simultaneously optimize users’ networking and personalization within and between online communities and organizations. He holds a B.S. degree from Bentley College.

This event is hosted by PariSoMa, a coworking space in San Francisco that provides desks, wifi and coffee to independents and startups. PariSoMa's goal is to work as a platform for communities to foster innovation, collaboration and collective intelligence.

When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990 — well before the Internet was on most people's radar — and continues to confront cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights today. From the beginning, EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights.

Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 50,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public.

Official Website: http://www.eff.org/calendar/2009/08/03/bayff-iran