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Dateline Producer Cracked At Defcon
David Utter
Staff Writer
2007-08-06
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Defcon 15 enjoyed the attentions of a would-be undercover Dateline producer, whose escapades at the conference ended with her being asked to leave the Las Vegas gathering.
 | | Dateline Producer Cracked At Defcon |  |
Michelle Madigan refused four invitations to register herself as a media member and attempted to video the proceedings at Defcon. That latter act violated Defcon rules, which bar any sort of video or camera work.
InfoWorld and a host of other sites have recounted her efforts:
Show organizers believe that Madigan had been looking to talk to hackers and federal agents, possibly with the intention of drawing attention to the fact that federal agents participate in a show whose attendees are known to skirt the law. "My guess is that she wanted a splash piece along the lines of, 'We have a whole bunch of people who are criminals. We have federal agents here as well,'" Priest said.
Members of the press are welcome at Defcon, but must register as such with conference organizers. Madigan appeared to be more interested in getting a pinhole camera in front of someone and catching them in an admission of illegal computer activity.
Defcon organizers had no desire to let this happen, especially since a number of their attendees come from federal agencies and do not want their pictures appearing on network television. Jeff 'Dark Tangent' Moss informed attendees of a camera-equipped reporter's presence, the article said.
ZDNet writer George Ou said in his account of Madigan's misadventures , "She wanted to paint a picture that would shock "people in Kansas" about Defcon and that's not what Defcon is about. The Feds, Press, and hacker community have built up a level of mutual trust at Defcon so that we have a place to talk openly and honestly."
As Madigan departed the conference, with a number of people following her out the door, some taunted her with Monty Python chants of "burn the witch." It's always good to see the security community come together in troubling times. Meanwhile, Madigan can go to her favorite wine bar and whine about her trip to anyone who cares.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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