Anti-RSA TrustyCon Draws Packed House Seeking Modern Security Know-How

Security conference organized in reaction to RSA's NSA tie-ups focuses on making technology safe and trustable

Disgusted by the possibility that RSA took $10 million in NSA money to use a deliberately flawed encryption algorithm, a small contingent of folks originally slated to appear at the 2014 RSA Conference decamped and staged their own security-themed get-together: TrustyCon.

The conference's stated mission: "[to] prioritize and refocus trust in technology and technology companies during a time of cynicism and contempt towards consumer security and privacy." Based on the first year's roster of events and speakers, there's at least as much emphasis on the politics as on the technology itself. That's no surprise given how one of TrustyCon's supporters is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, never shy to speak out about the political implications of any technology.

Though small -- only 400 seats to RSA's 25,000 -- the entire event, held in the AMC Metreon multiplex across the street from the Moscone Center -- sold out in three days, with tickets going for $50 each. In fact, according to the Register, 300 additional people were waitlisted for the show but couldn't get in, a good sign that curiosity about the show and demand for its roster of speakers was running high. For those who couldn't make it, a live stream of the event has been archived on YouTube.