Ubiquitous Surveillance and Security

World-renowned security expert Bruce Schneier delivered a keynote examining the dynamics of data and power in the internet age. He articulated the principle that "differential information is power," explaining how asymmetries in data access create imbalances between individuals, corporations, and governments. He characterized modern surveillance as "incidental, covert, and ubiquitous," describing a landscape far removed from the targeted, deliberate surveillance of earlier eras.

Schneier described the emergence of a "public-private surveillance partnership" in which corporations collect vast amounts of personal data that governments then access, creating a surveillance infrastructure more comprehensive than any single entity could build alone. He argued that purely technical solutions are insufficient and that meaningful reform requires broad social and political change. His challenge to the audience was direct: "We have to figure out how to design systems that benefit society while protecting people individually."