Road to SXSW 2015

Care and Feeding of Human & Device Relationships

It’s that time again to choose your sessions for SXSW Interactive.  Here’s a summary from our experience last year as well as just a few of our suggested picks. 

SXSW Interactive provides a unique and innovative platform to share experiences and connect with a diverse set a stakeholders that can only be found at springtime in Austin. We love to regularly connect with best in class Identity services professionals, but SXSW stands out as an event where we connect with people and organizations of all types. The opportunity for unmatched diversity in one place is something that comes only once a year.
Last year Kantara Initiative presented Tips and Tools for Protected Connection as part of the broader IEEE technology for humanity series. Our panel included privacy technology innovations, practices, solutions and research from ISOC, TOR Project and UMA. We’re focusing on IoT and identity this year with 2 panel submissions. We’ve submitted the Care and Feeding of Human & Device Relationships with panelists from Forgerock, CA, and Salesforce.com.  We’ve also worked with our Board Member IEEE-SA to submit a proposal from the Identities of Things WG with panelists from Deutche Telekom, Cisco, Perey Research and Consulting and Forgerock as part of the IEEE 2015 series.
The road to SXSW is a long one but with your support we hope to get on the schedule again!  Have a look at our highlighted session for your voting pleasure. There are MANY quality proposals this year so this is just a taste.  Please vote for our submissions and let us know about your favourites!

Our Picks for SXSW 2015

1. Care and Feeding of Human & Device Relationships

Relationships are formed of connections and interactions. We have relationships with humans and entities like our employers, Twitter, Facebook, and our families. We also have relationships with objects like our phones, cars, and gaming consoles. Our connections, roles, and relationships are multiplying with each innovation. People, entities, and things all have identities. Who is paying attention to the relationships between each? Who has the authority to confirm if a relationship is valid, current, and should be trusted? With more and more interactions and automation how can we understand the associated relationships and how to manage billions of relationships? This session discusses the developing laws of relationships between people, entities, and things and provides an innovative view of the landscape from the Identity Relationship Management Open Work Group. Find out what you need to know about the management human and device relationships. Discover how you can participate.

2. Identities of Things Group: Paving the Way for IoT

There’s a ton of promise in “smart everything.” However, the convergence of technology and sheer proliferation of data being gathered by sensors, cameras and other networked devices are making the road to the Internet of Things (IoT) a bumpy one. Today, there are no overarching frameworks that support broad authentication or data management, fueling serious data privacy and security concerns. Further, there’s no “DNS-like” framework that maps object identities, so things can effectively communicate and work with each other. In order for IoT to realize its promise, we must differentiate between people and objects, putting standards and structures in place that maximize the use of networked data, while guarding against abuse. Learn how the Identities of Things Group is working with industry to assess the IoT Landscape and develop harmonized frameworks that will help enable the Internet of Things. Find out how to get involved in defining an IoT future where PEOPLE matter most!

3. A framework for Privacy by Design

We live in an era where the pace of technological advancement is speeding along faster than the world can comprehend or respond. As we try to keep up, we are merging our limited understanding of emerging technology with our own antiquated views, policies and concepts related to personal identity, privacy and data governance. As a result, the world is playing an awkward and inefficient global game of “catch-up” that may do more harm to privacy than good. It is time for a more proactive stance; a vision, framework and standards that can help the world incorporate “Privacy by Design.” Join these two incredible thought leaders for a conversation around a new, global Privacy by Design concept that incorporates standards for privacy as an integral part and practice of development. We’ll explore what we own, how we store it, and who’s responsible for keeping it secure and what’s at stake for the future.

4. Biometrics & Identity: Beyond Wearable

From mobile devices to wearable gear, the increasingly ergonomic, small, lightweight, body conscious, attachable, controllable and comfortable devices we use are becoming physical extensions of ourselves. From phone to fitbit, as we become more dependent on these devices, our comfort level with the capture and use of our intimate personal data increases. However, will we become comfortable using our biometric and genomic data to digitally unlock our every day lives — from car to communications, home security to banking, healthcare to services? We are moving beyond wearables, to an age where products like biyo, which connects physical payment to a scan of the unique veins in the human palm, are becoming present market realities. What are the implications of using personal biometric data as the virtual keys that unlock our very real lives? How should we feel about using such sensitive, personal data as a means of self-identification?

We look forward to SXSW 2015.  Happy voting!!