Civic activists and those concerned or curious about the present state of digital privacy and its effect on Civil Liberties are encouraged to attend a local CryptoParty for informed insight, advice, and a general good time.

By Ahmed Sorour

Suffering the fallout of the Equifax hack? Email password stolen? Victim of identity fraud? Maybe it’s time to party.

Last week, CryptoParty-Boston held its monthly meetup at Sprout & Co. in Somerville. What is a CryptoParty? Going by the name, you couldn’t be blamed if the image of cowled cypherpunks (vis-a-vis Mr. Robot) hacking to the backdrop of German disco music entered your mind. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

One floor above Somerville Bike Kitchen, and sharing space with Boston’s open science lab (BosLab), CryptoParty-Boston held its first meeting on October 21, 2012. Since then, an eclectic collective of participants come together once a month to discuss digital security, and learn how to leverage technology to better protect and advance their rights.

Activists, privacy advocates, and of course, technology enthusiasts and professionals can all be counted among the attendees. Three volunteers from the local ACLU graced last week’s gathering. A co-founder and chair of the Massachusetts Pirate Party is a regular.

“Do I really need to be concerned with data privacy? I’m not doing anything wrong!”

“What’s ‘TOR,’ and is it really as safe as everyone says?”

“Is there a private way to message my friends, and what’s ‘Signal’?”

“Which is more secure, an iPhone or Android smartphone?”

“I’m a lawyer/journalist/activist… how can I operate responsibly?”

If any of the above sounds familiar, or you’ve asked yourself similar questions, maybe it’s time to pencil a slot for the next CryptoParty into your calendar. The technically adept offer insight and advice, while activists, advocates, and those with privacy concerns provide a window into their field and real world challenges.

Every day now, it seems news of yet another data breach affecting millions, or a new law (Section 702 anyone?) exposing intimate communications comes to light. While naturally, this has piqued the interests of many into the world of digital privacy and security, the phenomenon is more than a passing fancy for the people of CryptoParty. For some, knowledge merits action.

CryptoPary-Boston meets the last Wednesday of each month at Sprout & Co., 339R Summer St., Somerville, MA. More information can be found at their website: https://www.cryptoparty.in/boston.