Are you concerned about the recent reports about government surveillance programs? Are you concerned about security and privacy online? If so, you may want to attend (in person or remotely) the INET Washington DC event happening on Wednesday, July 24, from 2:00 – 6:00 pm US Eastern time at George Washington University. Sponsored by the Internet Society and GWU’s Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute, the event is free and open to the public and will also be streamed live on the Internet for those who cannot attend in person. From the news release:

The Internet Society and others have expressed concern that policies that result in the unwarranted collection, storage, and potential correlation of user data undermine many of the key principles and relationships of trust upon which the global Internet is based. The Internet Society notes that information about a startling number of programs by governments around the world has emerged in recent weeks; developments that we believe will have a chilling effect on the growth of the Internet and the realization of its full potential as a trusted medium for free expression and creativity.

This forum will examine how to balance objectives for openness, global interoperability, and security in an online world and whether the vision of an open, innovative Internet can persist in an environment of online surveillance and data collection. Can we achieve a balance between national security, privacy, and free expression or do users have to be willing to compromise?

The list of speakers involved with the program includes:

• John Curran, President & CEO, American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN);
• Laura DeNardis, Professor, American University School of Communications;
• Leslie Harris, President & CEO, Center for Democracy and Technology;
• Melissa Hathaway, President, Hathaway Global Strategies;
• Lance Hoffman, Distinguished Research Professor, The George Washington University;
• Randy Marchany, IT Security Officer, Virginia Tech;
• Steve Roberts, J.B. and M.C. Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs,The George Washington University;
• Lynn St. Amour, President & CEO, Internet Society; and
• Daniel Weitzner, Director, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab.

If you live in the DC area, the event will be held in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom at George Washington University in Washington, DC. More information can be found on the registration page. If you want to watch the event remotely, you can visit:

http://new.livestream.com/internetsociety/INETDC2013

The event will be recorded for later viewing and the archived video will be available at that same URL.

Full disclosure: This event is sponsored by my employer, the Internet Society, but I have no connection to the event beyond thinking it will be a great session and wishing I didn’t have a meeting during part of it (but that is what video archives are for!).