The Third Annual DC Privacy Summit will take place on October 15, 2026, at the National Union Building in Washington, D.C.
The DC Privacy Summit is a unique forum for urgent conversations about converging technological trends. Zero-knowledge proofs and other powerful cryptographic tools are raising novel questions about the law, and about the relationship between the US government and its citizens. Policymakers across the country (and around the world) are rushing to introduce digital identification credentials and age verification mandates. Sophisticated cyberattackers are turning consumer data security into a matter of national security. And the rise of AI is supercharging it all.
We organize this event because the people building these technologies and the people writing the rules governing them too rarely talk directly. If favorable privacy, security, and policy outcomes are to be achieved, this must change. That is our aim.
This year we have refined the format to help maximize the event’s impact. We’ll kick things off on the night of the 14th with the Cypherpunk Policy Dinner (separate admission required). The main event on the 15th is designed as a pop-up think tank, and will feature focused, invite-only roundtables as well as talks, firesides, and panels in front of an audience of up to 200 people.
Here are some of the key questions we’ll address throughout the day:
- How can the public and private sectors improve their coordination to achieve better outcomes against cyberattackers like North Korea’s Lazarus Group?
- Is there a realistic path to privacy-preserving digital identification?
- What do privacy-minded policymakers need from technologists working on the frontier of digital privacy and identity? What do technologists need from policymakers?
- What are the implications of tools like zero-knowledge proofs beyond blockchains and cryptocurrencies?
- What does AI mean for privacy, security, and freedom?
Speakers include:
- Cindy Cohn, Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Wei Dai, Research Partner, 1kx
- Matt Green, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
- Julie Lascar, Head of Global Policy, Digital Asset
- Justin Slaughter, VP of Regulatory Affairs, Paradigm
- Ying Tong, Applied Cryptographer
- Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director, Coin Center
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