EFF Champions Digital Rights at Las Vegas Security Conferences

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is taking its advocacy for digital privacy and free expression to the forefront again this summer during Las Vegas’s annual security conferences. From August 6-11, EFF will be participating in BSides Las Vegas, Black Hat Briefings, and DEF CON 34, the largest gatherings of hackers, security researchers, and privacy advocates in the world. These events offer a critical platform for EFF to engage directly with the tech community and promote tools that empower individuals to protect their digital rights.

At DEF CON 34—its 34th annual conference—EFF will highlight its ongoing legal and technical efforts to defend civil liberties in the digital age. While government and corporate surveillance continues to expand, EFF remains committed to leveling the playing field through both litigation and accessible technology. The organization’s work includes Privacy Badger, an anti-tracking browser extension used by millions, and Certbot, which helps websites implement HTTPS encryption. EFF also provides the Surveillance Self-Defense guide, a free resource offering step-by-step advice on securing personal devices and communications, especially for journalists, activists, and at-risk users.

EFF’s presence at these conferences underscores a broader mission: ensuring technology serves the public interest rather than concentrating power in the hands of a few. The organization argues that digital rights—including privacy, free speech, and access to information—are foundational to modern democracy. “Technology is inseparable from our workplaces, schools, healthcare, the justice system, and our democratic process,” the EFF states. “If you think tech should benefit everyone and not just accumulate wealth and control for the powerful, then we’d like to welcome you to the team.”

This year, EFF is offering limited-edition member t-shirts designed for DEF CON 34, including “Many Hands Make Light Work,” created by artist Hannah Diaz. The shirt features an interactive online puzzle embedded in its design, developed in collaboration with EFF’s puzzlemasters Aaron Steimle (known as Elegin) and Kevin Hulin (CryptoK). Elegin, a longtime EFF collaborator and multiple-time DEF CON contest winner, and CryptoK, a crypto puzzle enthusiast and challenge developer for the DEF CON Crypto and Privacy Village, helped bring the interactive element to life.

EFF members can also support the organization through additional merchandise, including a Privacy Badger-embroidered sweatshirt, puffy stickers, and the “Claw Back” t-shirt, which focuses on automated license plate readers (ALPRs). Each purchase helps fund EFF’s legal battles, public advocacy, and development of tools that protect online freedoms.

As digital surveillance grows more pervasive, EFF’s message remains clear: technology must be a force for liberation, not control. By uniting hackers, creators, and concerned citizens, the organization continues to push back against unchecked surveillance and censorship. Whether through legal action, public education, or open-source tools, EFF is building a future where privacy and free expression are guaranteed for all.

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