radical-networks/speakers/joshua-kopstein/index.html

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<h3>Joshua Kopstein</h3>
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<p>Joshua Kopstein is a journalist and researcher focused on the study and circumvention of government and corporate surveillance systems. He has been published in outlets including Al Jazeera, The New Yorker, VICE, Ars Technica, and The Verge. He also authors <a href="http://tinyletter.com/lawfulintercept" target="_blank">Lawful Intercept</a>, a newsletter about surveillance, technology, privacy, and power.</p>

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<h2>Presenting</h2>
<h3>Workshop: There Is No Cloud: Dumping Dropbox to Create a Personal
Anti-Cloud For Cheap</h3>
<p>From the NSA revelations to hacked celebrity photo scandals, we've been
given countless reasons to stop trusting centralized data storage
services such as iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox. It's now common
knowledge that by using these services we surrender control of our data
to profit-driven corporations, leaving it at the mercy of data-mining
advertisers, government spooks, and malicious hackers. Thanks to arcane
Terms of Service agreements and automatic opt-in schemes, often this
private data is being transmitted and stored elsewhere without our
knowledge or consent.</p>

<p>The fact that we still use these services despite this knowledge isn't a
surrender: It's simply proof that telling everyone to “stop using the
cloud” isn't working, and never will. What we need instead is to
introduce decentralized cloud alternatives that preserve our privacy and
sovereignty while providing the same usability and convenience – with
little or no compromise.</p>

<p>In this workshop, participants will learn how to use a $40 Raspberry Pi
to create a personal “anti-cloud” that safely and seamlessly syncs files
between all of their devices, using peer-to-peer apps like BitTorrent
Sync instead of corporate-controlled file lockers. From there, we will
take this private network to the next level by exploring ArkOS, a more
ambitious platform designed to keep all of your data “in-house,” where
it belongs.</p>

<p>This method is far from perfect, and various drawbacks, caveats, and
alternatives will be noted along the way. But it is a relatively
painless and elegant solution that can be achieved with almost no
monetary costs and little technical know-how. More importantly, by
exploring the possibility space for cloud alternatives, we can help
bring the decentralized, surveillance-resistant Internet one step closer
to reality.</p>

<p>Participants must bring their own laptops (PC, Mac, or Linux). Raspberry
Pis will be provided. Basic familiarity with the command line is
recommended, but not mandatory. This workshop is recommended for
beginners with little/no knowledge of computer networking as well as
more advanced users hoping to learn about cloud file storage alternatives.</p>

<p>No experience necessary!</p>

<h3>Materials</h3>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Complete-Original-Preloaded/dp/B008XVAVAW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443054384&sr=8-3&keywords=raspberry+pi+starter+kit" target="_blank">Recommended kit</a> for hands-on part of workshop ($70)

<p>Note: You can still attend the workshop if you are unable to obtain the needed materials. You won't be able to fully participate in the hands-on session, but there will also be a lecture component regarding P2P clouds. Please be sure to at least bring a laptop running Mac, Linux or Windows.</p>