Between Computer Code And Legal Code: Open Source's Influence
by Æva Black
In this talk, Aeva Black — engineer, policy advisor, and former U.S. government open source security lead — will share a personal journey that reorients the relationship between code and power.
After a surprising meeting with a foreign military about open source software she had written, Aeva pivoted from trying to solve political problems with computer code to trying to solve technology problems with social code. Another unexpected series of events landed her a role at CISA, where she helped shape U.S. national policy for open source software.
Good policy is not created in a vacuum — it is informed by, and created with, the communities it regulates. And for the first time in history, world governments are listening to open source communities.
This talk is about how you can participate in shaping the regulations that will affect the Rust community for years to come.
Æva Black
she/her
Æva Black is a non-binary hacker, veteran of the first dot-com bubble, and an international thought leader on open source software security with over 25 years of experience building digital infrastructure, leading open source projects, and advising on cybersecurity policy.
After leading OSS Security Programs first in the Azure Office of the CTO and then at the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Agency, Æva founded Null Point Studio, a boutique cybersecurity consulting firm in the Netherlands, to continue supporting the sustainability and security of free and open source software.
Æva’s signature red-and-black aesthetic has darkened conference stages around the world since 2005. When not behind a computer screen, she can be found on a motorcycle or looking for new ways to support their local queer community.