Security Programs take Center Stage in Austin During South by Southwest

If you've never been to Austin during South by Southwest, you are truly missing out.  SXSW season begins today with the SXSW Interactive and Film Festivals, and I'm happy to report that the Strauss Center at UT is sponsoring or co-sponsoring an array of security-and-technology events over the next few days.  I'll do my best to keep you all posted, and to give you a sense of how things feel.  For starters, picture blue skies, 60-something degrees, lots of people zipping around on Segways and in pedicabs, all sorts, and food trucks abounding.... Now, about those security-related programs: First up?  The Texas International Law Journal spring 2014 symposium, which is focused on the law relevant to cyberwarfare. It just got underway, and Professor Mike Schmitt is delivering the keynote as I type, with his usual flair and expertise.  This will be followed by a roundtable discussion of the Talinn Manual, featuring Mike as well as Eric Jensen and Sean Watts.  The event continues throughout the day tomorrow, and we'll do our best to get the video posted to Lawfare quickly, and if possible I'll live-blog some of the highlights. Second? The Stauss Center is sponsoring a two-hour workshop at SXSWi on Saturday afternoon, focused on NSA issues and featuring me, Tim Edgar, Julian Sanchez, and Susan Landau. We're going to cover the waterfront in a highly-interactive dialogue with the audience, and it should be lots of fun. Third, some of the participants in the cyberwarfare symposium are sticking around till Sunday to put on a SXSW "core conversation" on cyberwarfare, including at least Derek Jinks and Kristen Eichensehr. Of course, there is much more.  Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, and Julian Assange are all also appearing (via video) at SXSW, as is Bart Gellman in person...though we can't claim credit for sponsoring any of those!