It’s a Wrap!! Another Successful Tech Summit in the Books!

Last week we welcomed almost 300 people to our 5th Annual Technology Summit in San Francisco. For four days we laughed, strategized, and built new ways to think and talk about how privacy and tech safety impact the lives of survivors of abuse and harassment.

We had over 30 brilliant and passionate presenters from around the world, including representatives from Google, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Uber, Mozilla, and Niantic. A wide array of content was presented, such as: the Internet of Things, the intersection between technology and human trafficking, cutting edge technology legislation, online gaming and dating, teens and tech, innovative uses of technology to address abuse, and many more.

In addition to our world class presenters, this year we had our largest group of participants ever, including from partner agencies in Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Canada. Technologists, advocates, lawyers, and survivors enriched the conversation as participants and presenters. Many participants came from programs providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, non-residential services, and crucial legal assistance. Others teach coding and tech skills to survivors to help them gain financial freedom. All of them make a difference every day.

Throughout the conference, participants discussed all aspects of Technology Safety for survivors, including:
·         How abusers misuse tech,
·         How survivors can strategically use tech to maintain their safety and privacy,
·         How agencies can use tech to increase accessibility and ensure privacy, and
·         The importance of designing technology with survivors in mind.

At NNEDV we work and play hard, and the 2017 Tech Summit was no different. Receptions, dinners, snacks, networking opportunities, and informal discussions provided a chance for participants and presenters to connect and collaborate. Tech Summit is ultimately a tech conference, so we also had ample time to try out tech, including learning how to opt-out of data brokers at our Opt-Out Station and testing out the virtual gaming system, Oculus.

We are thrilled that the conference was a success and we look forward to taking back many great ideas on how to make next year’s conference even better. The conference was filled with ideas on how technology safety can improve the lives of survivors of abuse and harassment. We are excited to provide that information in the coming year through technical assistance, new written materials, and our ever expanding training catalogue.

We are already gearing up for Tech Summit 2018, so send along ideas for what you want to see in 2018! If you were unable to join us for Tech Summit this year, you can see a little of the fun by looking at the Program Book, checking out our Storify and Twitter Moment feeds, or by searching for #TechSummit17 and #TechSafetyMeans: 
·         On Twitter: #TechSummit17 and #TechSafetyMeans
·         On Instagram: #TechSummit17 and #TechSafetyMeans
·         On Facebook:  #TechSummit17 and #TechSafetyMeans