NSA director Gen. Keith Alexander speaks at Def Con 20 in 2012.
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Last year, NSA director General Keith Alexander gave the conference's keynote speech, in which he reassured hackers that the agency was not compiling dossiers on millions of Americans, while also making the case for more government control over the Internet."The relationship is symbiotic," said Nick Selby, a cybersecurity expert who has spoken out against Def Con's decision to ban the feds. "The mission transcends barriers—the mission is to develop and inculcate a sense of sharing and cooperation in the security community."Moss himself has even blurred the lines between hackers and Big Brother. The Def Con founder, once a leading champion of Damn The Man hacker ethos, was named to the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council in 2009, and co-chaired a task force on CyberSkills last year, which advised Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on how to meet the agency's growing demand for cybersecurity professionals.Moss did not respond to Motherboard's request for comment, and neither the NSA, the Pentagon, nor the Department of Homeland Security would comment on Def Con's decision. But it's safe to assume that the move will force federal agencies and agents to miss out on one of the year's best opportunities to meet and woo potential new recruits."The mission transcends barriers—the mission is to develop and inculcate a sense of sharing and cooperation in the security community."
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