THREATCASTING: MICROTARGETING AND DATA PROTECTION

In the year 2032, perhaps Mars colonization will be underway and the Metaverse will be your second home. Maybe self-driving vehicles will be the norm and the world will shift towards clean energy. Or perhaps we will see fracturing of international agreements and an increased number of destabilized nations.

While it is uncertain exactly what might happen in the next decade, there is no doubt that data-hungry algorithms will still be around to sell you something, help you navigate your daily schedule, or even to influence what news you get to see. There is also no doubt that threat actors will attempt to pinpoint individuals by drawing from vast oceans of data – a technique also known as microtargeting – and exploit them for all sorts of nefarious reasons including political influence, physical violence, and financial fraud.

Please join us for a Threatcasting workshop with the help from ACI, USSS, UT-Austin, and the Threatcasting Lab at ASU that attempts to imagine the darker side of the future, so that we can make the changes now to avoid, mitigate, or disrupt undesirable events a decade from now. This workshop will attempt to answer these questions:

1. How does the threat of microtargeting our forces (e.g., military, law enforcement, or political leaders) manifest over the next decade given an increasingly interconnected information environment?
2. How will this potentially affect our ability to conduct our missions to defend the nation, protect U.S. leadership, and safeguard the U.S. economy?
3. What are threats to national security because of adversaries’ ability to mine data oceans, identify, and affect individuals at scale (to achieve the adversaries’ objectives)?

November 15th and 16th, 2022

8am - 5pm

University of Texas Austin Campus Robert L. Patton Building

Glickman Conference Room in Patton Hall (RLP) 1.302E

305 E. 23rd Street

Austin, TX 78712

Please bring a laptop/tablet that can access wi-fi and Google Docs and Sheets. Yes, Google products – please check that your device can access this service. We will spend the 2 days feverishly working in small groups and everyone having the ability to collaboratively contribute is important.

Don’t forget your power cords too!

Please dress comfortably and causally. No military uniforms or suits. Flip Flops optional!

• Lunch served daily.
• Coffee, water, and small snacks served in the main room all day, both days.

The following parking garages are within walking distance to the University. Parking is limited and payment is required ($18.00/day)

1. San Jacinto Garage (SJG) – 2401 San Jacinto Blvd. – 6 min. walk
2. Brazos Garage (BRG) – 210 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. – 9 min. walk
3. San Antonio Garage (SAG) – 2420 San Antonio Street – 13 min. walk

Please see maps below for driving and walking directions.

We will provide a guest password for the Wi-Fi upon arrival at the Conference Center.

For the out-of-town guests, we reserved a block of rooms at the MOXY Hotel – 2552 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705 - (737) 471-2621. By staying in the same hotel, this will allow us to continue the conversations and collaborations once the day is done with a no-host social. The special rate expires Monday, October 31, 2022. Please use the link provided to book the room at this special rate.

In order to participate at this in-person event, all participants must be fully vaccinated. This would be at least 2 shots of Moderna, 2 shots of Pfizer, or 1 shot of J&J. Proof of boosters not yet required. Please bring your vaccination card with you to show at registration.

• Masks are optional.
• We have reserved the entire location for this workshop.
• There will be plenty of hand sanitizer for your use at the food station.
• Please attempt to keep some distance between individuals even when in our small group work.
• Please respect others and their desire for spacing.

Historically, in November the weather in the Austin area averages a high of 72 degrees and a low of 49 degrees. Weather in November is quite dry.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

University of Texas Austin Campus Robert L. Patton Building, 305 E. 23rd Street, Austin, United States