DEF CON shuns feds

As in the past, DEF CON founder Jeff Moss (aka The Dark Tangent) has asked in a blog entry on the conference web site federal agents not to attend this year's DEF CON, which is set to take place in early August. Moss is asking the FBI, known as "Feds" to take the year off as many of the hackers feel uncomfortable mixing with law enforcement agents. "This will give everybody time to think about how we got here, and what comes next," Moss wrote.

Although FBI agents have been tolerated, even if not entirely trusted, at previous events, this is a request that is somewhat unusual. Previous years saw competitions such as "Spot the Fed". If an attendee could uncover an agent and convince them to take the stage, they would be rewarded with a trophy, often with something from the feds themselves such as coffee mugs, t-shirt, or mouse pads with the official FBI seal.

Both the US Department of Defense and the NSA have had booths at the conference in years past trying to recruit hackers. Last year, General Keith Alexander, the director of the NSA, even held a presentation on the first day of DEF CON that generated a lot of discussion.

This year's edition of DEF CON will take place from 1 to 4 August at Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.