Check back soon!
Check back soon!
If you are looking for slides for previous trainings, they are all available here.
In 2020, we hosted several digital security trainings at the Harold Washington Library- and then the COVID-19 pandemic began and we discontinued in person meetings. With restrictions lifting, we anticipate more FOIA workshops, digital security trainings, and Tacos & Tor events in the future.
Lucy Parsons Labs held a public “Tacos and Tor” event where we discussed anonymous web browsing, the legacy of Tor, doing research and whistleblowing using the TAILS operating system, and more.
Lucy Parsons Labs along with Free Our Info hosted a free FOIA workshop where they covered how to craft a FOIA request for the first time, what to expect in response, and several tips and tricks on how to get the information quicker.
Thotcon hosted a Cybersecurity Security Action Day, on October 13th, 2018 that mobilized volunteers over 150 locations in Chicago. Many Lucy Parsons Labs members volunteered at over four libraries on the day of action to assist librarians & the general public with their digital security concerns.
Chi Hack Night is Chicago’s weekly event to build, share, and learn about civic tech. In June of 2016, Jennifer Helsby and Freddy Martinez presented on the deployment of LPL’s SecureDrop system. (Video)
The Electronic Frontier Alliance (EFA) hosted a workshop on surveillance self-defense in Chicago in March, 2016. Jennifer Helsby presented on the current state of local police surveillance. Groups from across the city participated, including Chicago GNU/Linux Users Group, Restore the Fourth-Chicago, and the National Lawyers Guild Chicago Chapter. Learn more.
In partnership with Chicago CryptoParty, Lucy Parsons Labs organizes privacy and digital security trainings. In these hands-on workshops, participants are encouraged to bring their own devices to get personalized advice.
Member Will Pierce discussed LPL’s work shedding light on the Chicago Police Department’s algorithmic mass surveillance at the University of Ottawa Department of Criminology in Ontario, Canada. Pierce was invited as part of a week of special events celebrating the department’s 50th anniversary.
At SSN 2018 in Aarhus, Denmark, Will Pierce gave a presentation on “Predestination and Prediction: State Surveillance in Reformation England,” exploring the relationships between historical forms of surveillance and present-day issues like predictive policing and the racialized impact of algorithmic decision-making.
LPL members attended this conference—held in memory of the late Aaron Swartz at the Internet Archive in San Fransisco—where they led and participated in a SecureDrop hackathon.
Hosted by by Georgetown Law, the conference focused on the policing and surveillance of black communities. LPL Director Freddy Martinez gave a primer on Stingray devices, also known as IMSI catchers, and their role in the monitoring of the black community.
At Chaos Computer Club (#32C3), Jennifer Helsby, CTO of Lucy Parsons Labs, presented on the mass quantities of data being incorporated into predictive systems. While these algorithms operate in the dark their use has had many consequences, both intentional and unintentional. Her talk covered issues of fairness and accountability involved in controlling algorithms for media, policy, and policing.
At DEF CON 23, Jennifer Helsby presented in the Crypto and Privacy Village on the privacy implications of machine learning. Freddy Martinez presented on IMSI Catchers and practical counter-surveillance. (Video)
At THOTCON 0x5, a Chicago-area information security conference, Freddy Martinez discussed the technical workings of IMSI Catchers and his work to uncover their use by police in Chicago.