Sunday, July 20, 2014: 10:00 am (Serpico): Without secure code and implementation, humanitarian projects can be used against the very people they are designed to help. This is a basic problem of social justice. If security is only available to people with money, privilege, and the fortune to not be in the midst of a disaster, then there is no security. As Internet crime rises and security solutions gain momentum, vulnerable populations are left out of the protection that the privileged few enjoy. Issues of trust, budgetary restrictions limiting low-barrier digital security tools, and the mass surveillance/digital disenfranchisement of the non-elite are the obstacles to a secure commons. Community building and resource sharing on the Internet is only accomplished when we take part in building social justice by using our skills to improve open source code security and its implementation across the humanitarian ecosystem.

Lisha Sterling