by Paul Wagenseil
July 11 2013 10:31 AM ET


There won't be any federal agents at the DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas this August.

In a brief posting on the official DEF CON website last night (July 10), DEF CON founder Jeff "The Dark Tangent" Moss asked that federal law-enforcement and intelligence personnel stay away this year.

"For over two decades, DEF CON has been an open nexus of hacker culture, a place where seasoned pros, hackers, academics and feds can meet, share ideas and party on neutral territory," Moss wrote. "Our community operates in the spirit of openness, verified trust, and mutual respect.

"When it comes to sharing and socializing with feds, recent revelations have made many in the community uncomfortable about this relationship," he said. "Therefore, I think it would be best for everyone involved if the feds call a 'time-out' and not attend DEF CON this year."