The federal government has been asked to stay away from Defcon hacker event this year!

The federal government is persona non grata at this year's Defcon.

For the first time in the 21-year-history of the famed hacker's convention, government employees are being asked to stay away, albeit in a polite fashion.

Def Con founder Jeff Moss, aka The Dark Tangent, posted the following plea on the event's Web site late Wednesday:

Feds, we need some time apart.
For over two decades DEF CON has been an open nexus of hacker culture, a place where seasoned pros, hackers, academics, and feds can meet, share ideas and party on neutral territory. Our community operates in the spirit of openness, verified trust, and mutual respect.
When it comes to sharing and socializing with feds, recent revelations have made many in the community uncomfortable about this relationship. Therefore, I think it would be best for everyone involved if the feds call a "time-out" and not attend DEF CON this year.
This will give everybody time to think about how we got here, and what comes next.
The Dark Tangent

Moss, who also advises the Department of Homeland Security on security issues, told Reuters he believes the Defcon community needs some time to digest the recent leaks about U.S. surveillance programs.

"The community is digesting things that the Feds have had a decade to understand and come to terms with," Moss said. "A little bit of time and distance can be a healthy thing, especially when emotions are running high."

But Def Con won't be hiring a bunch of bouncers to throw out the Feds.

"We are not going on a witch hunt or checking IDs and kicking people out," Moss added.

Def Con has always been geared toward hackers, researchers, and other security devotees. But employees from the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, and other government branches have been welcome and have attended for many years.

General Keith Alexander, the head of National Security Agency, even gave a keynote speech at last year's event. Alexander was asked at the time whether the government was snooping on its citizens and denied that the NSA was gathering information on all Americans.

Source: CNET

Department of Justice approves Sprint & Softbank deal.

The major buyout deal between Sprint and Japanese telecommunications provider Softbank is one step closer to finalized. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the deal, handing it over for approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

In October 2012, Softbank offered Sprint $20 billion for a 70 percent stake in the company. Deal conversations were brought to a halt, however, when the concerns about national security were brought up. In March, regulators began to voice their concerns about Chinese spyware slipping into U.S. networks through the Softbank relationship. Later, in January, the DOJ, alongside the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, launched an investigation into the deal, further stunting its process through FCC approvals.

That investigation didn't seem to rustle up much, as the DOJ approved the deal Friday in a letter the FCC. In the letter, the DOJ explained that it analyzed the “measures” Sprint and Softbank have taken to ensure national security as well as the supply chain. It’s now the FCC’s turn to green light the deal, and Softbank is seemingly confident. The company released a statement in April saying it believes the deal will be finalized by July, and that it’s deal is better than a second offer Sprint received from Dish Networks during the DOJ’s investigation.

The U.S. cable provider topped Softbank’s offer, saying it would pay $25.5 billion for majority control of the company. If Softbank’s timeline is correct, we assume we’ll hear more about Sprint’s interest in the Dish deal soon.

Source: Washington Post