Over the last year government leaks regarding nation-state digital espionage and surveillance have made the topic of privacy a heated discussion point. However, for those that have been championing the privacy cause this is a fight that has been going on for years. One issue with regards to technology and the lack of privacy is that there are a large of amount of people in positions of power, and general public, who have very little idea about how technology works or its capabilities. What is even more interesting is that despite the myth that you can have either privacy or security it is in fact critical to security that you have privacy; the myth is a lie and whether you like it or not privacy is good for security. The speaker is a member of the US Air Force (and as such might be regarded as somewhat biased), but TROOPERS has extended the opportunity to the speaker to present regardless of his affiliation (he does not represent viewpoints of the US government but only himself) and he will discuss his research, own experience, and opinions on why ensuring privacy is actually in governments’ best interest for boosting national security. This talk is bound to present ideas that audience members agree with as well as those that they disagree with which will hopefully lead to heated debate; active participation is encouraged.
Robert M. Lee is the Founder and Director of hackINT, a 501©(3) non-profit organization that teaches entry level cyber security classes in the subjects of hacking, forensics, intelligence, and defense. Additionally, he is an active-duty US Air Force Cyberspace Operations Officer working under the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency where he leads a national level cyber defense team. Robert is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Utica College where he teaches graduate level classes in digital forensics and cyber counter intelligence in the M.S. Cybersecurity program. He received his B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy, his M.S. in Cybersecurity – Digital Forensics from Utica College, and is currently working on his PhD in War Studies at Kings College London where he is researching control systems cyber security. Robert has written on control system cyber security, the direction of the cyberspace domain, and advanced digital threats for publications such as Control Global, SC Magazine, Australia Security Magazine, Hong Kong Security Magazine, Cyber Conflict Studies Association, and Air and Space Power Journal. He has also presented related topics at thirteen conferences in eight countries as well as presenting critical infrastructure protection topics to multiple international think tanks. Lastly, he has taught over 500 students through hackINT and his time at Utica College. Routinely consulted for his expertise on such subjects, Robert M. Lee is an active cyber advocate and educator.