Hackers applauded Alexander? He really has played them like pipes.
You can argue all you want, but in the end, some boundaries have to be set. What the NSA did (does actually) is way past that boundary for most people, and I think with reason, but that's another debate. He hasn't supplied any argument that would make us reconsider the boundaries. All this terrorist talk is bullshit.
Despite the vaguely militant-underground name "Black Hat", it's a conference of mainstream security researchers, run by a large media firm (CMP Media, which also runs the Game Developer's Conference, and owns a bunch of magazines like InformationWeek). Many of the attendees are themselves in government positions, or serving as contractors. So I'm not sure I'd expect a particularly strong backlash. Heck, some attendees could well be in a position to have already known some of the things that were leaked.
Well, a militant-defensive-underground would call themselves "Grey Hat" or something. Black Hat implies exploiting flaws for personal gain, doesn't it?
I imagine a bunch of these Black Hat people fancy their big payout using their skills for evil.
There are not really any hackers at BlackHat. Some go to give a talk for their own interests, some go to see their friends talk, but the "hackers" largely skip the conference and go hang out on their company dime and go to the private after-parties. It's a running joke that the real conference is at the Galleria Bar.
I hadn't seen the footage, and the piece did a poor job conveying what they applause was for. After watching the video it looks like he drew at least some (if not all) of the applause. Not sure if I like that from Black Hat or not.
You can argue all you want, but in the end, some boundaries have to be set. What the NSA did (does actually) is way past that boundary for most people, and I think with reason, but that's another debate. He hasn't supplied any argument that would make us reconsider the boundaries. All this terrorist talk is bullshit.