Project Secret Identity is back.
EFF is returning to Dragon Con, the science fiction and fantasy convention in Atlanta, Georgia, for a Labor Day weekend of cosplay activism. This year’s privacy campaign will be even more sensational thanks to our partners at Access Now and the support of the Harry Potter Alliance, Southeastern Browncoats, and Gizmodo.
What: Project Secret Identity at Dragon Con
Who: EFF Activist Nadia Kayyali, EFF Investigative Researcher Dave Maass, and EFF Staff Attorney Kit Walsh; Access Now’s Senior Legislative Manager Nathan White and U.S. Policy Manager Amie Stepanovich
When: Sept. 4 -7, 2015
Where: Atlanta, Georgia (Hilton Atlanta)
Costuming is a highly visible form of expression that simultaneously preserves anonymity. So, in many ways, cosplay represents the ultimate amalgam of privacy and free speech, both of which are constantly under threat. Dragon Con, as a fantasy convention renown for its cosplay and home to the Electronic Frontiers Forum, is the perfect venue for rallying the fandoms.
Project Secret Identity (online at projectsecretidentity.org) asks cosplayers to pose for photos while bearing signs emblazoned with pro-privacy and Internet freedom slogans, such as “I Have a Right to a Secret Identity” and “Privacy is Not a Fantasy.” If you’re at Dragon Con, stop by our table at the Hilton and we’ll snap a few shots. If you’re a cosplayer staying home, just submit your pictures online. All the photos will appear on the site, with the best of the best showcased here at EFF and on Gizmodo.
In addition to our own cosplaying, EFF and Access Now will participate in more than a dozen panels on digital freedom as part of the Electronic Frontiers Forum track. Our talks include examinations of domestic surveillance, net neutrality, car hacking, journalism in the post-Snowden era, and DIY government transparency. Bookmark our full schedule.
Over at our tables at the Hilton concourse, our team can also give tips for protecting yourself online, help you figure out what surveillance police are using in your community, and walk you through the various kinds of regulatory proposals that could harm or help Internet freedom. It will also be a great opportunity to start or renew your membership.
You can also spot our contingent marching in the annual Dragon Con cosplay parade on Saturday morning.
More than 70 attendees participated in Project Secret Identity in 2014. Check out last year’s gallery of spectacular cosplayers.
