Edward Snowden To Put Aussie Metadata Laws On Blast In Speaking ‘Tour’

It’s a golden age we live in currently where, thanks in large part to the internet, certain high-profile scientists, activists, information securities, and political figures are revered with the kind of enthusiastic reverence usually reserved for rock stars or actors.

At the moment there’s arguably no one “non traditional” (for lack of a better term) celebrity whose name has more recognisable weight than Edward Snowden.
The man who lifted the giant lid on the surveillance and espionage work of the NSA and the CIA before fleeing his native US to Russia is one of the most in-demand voices on the subject of global IT security and Government-approved spying the world has ever seen.
And fortunately for us all, we’re next on the list to hear him speak.
Snowden will be “touring” Australia in late May, appearing in a string of special Evening With… performances where he will discuss both his own personal experiences, and the dangers of the state-backed collection of data from everyday citizens. Like, say… the current Liberal Government‘s approval of sweeping metadata retention laws, which Snowden himself has recently singled out for criticism.

“Just months ago, an aggressive new ‘bulk collection’ program came into effect in Australia, mandating the indiscriminate interception of private records without regard to an individual’s guilt or innocence. This is the most classic form of mass surveillance, and it radically redefines the balance of power between citizen and state…a battle is beginning, and the internet and democracy hang in the balance.”


Snowden will be appearing via video link at the dates (because we’re really gr8 m8s with the US, remember), which will feature both Snowden talking, being interviewed by on-stage moderators, and fielding questions from the audience via Twitter.

Tickets are already on sale (and fkn flying out the door) via Think Inc.
Full dates are as follows.
AN EVENING WITH EDWARD SNOWDEN Australia 2016
Friday May 20th PCEC, Perth WA
Saturday May 21st ACC, Adelaide SA
Sunday May 22nd MCEC, Melbourne VIC
Friday May 27th Courier Mail Piazza, Brisbane QLD
Saturday May 28th – Big Top, Sydney NSW
Sunday May 29th – Llewellyn Hall, Canberra ACT

Source: Women In Tech.
Photo: Handout/Getty.

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