Thousands of hackers from around the globe will be attending H2K, New York City's third international hacking conference, which begins Friday, July 14, 2000 at 9:00am and will run around the clock until Sunday evening, July 16 at the Hotel Pennsylvania.

Like its predecessors HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth, 1994) and Beyond HOPE (1997), H2K (HOPE 2000) will feature dozens of panel discussions and workshops relevant to technology and issues important to anyone whose life is increasingly affected by technology. A high-speed data network built and run by hackers will permit attendees to bring and connect their own computers to exchange information and reach out to the world. Conference-goers are invited to test H2K’s network security by hacking it and sharing their findings and techniques, and to use the net for freely sharing information in the hacker tradition.

Freedom Downtime, a new documentary about the use and misuse of technology and the justice system will premier Friday night. H2K's keynote speaker will be Jello Biafra, former lead singer of The Dead Kennedys and noted activist. Two speaker tracks and panel discussions on topics such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the future of intellectual property on the Internet, (Napster, MP3, deCSS, etc.) the open source community and its effect on computer operating systems and applications, data and voice security, hacktivism, hacker ethics, hardware hacking, wireless technologies, pirate radio, privacy, social engineering, etc, will be running simultaneously with a third open-mic track. Films, videos, live bands, DJ’s, and technology demonstrations will all take place throughout the conference.

A mock trial of the landmark case MPAA vs 2600 Magazine case will be conducted with audience participation. The Motion Picture Association of America recently sued 2600 (H2K’s sponsor) in federal court for publishing open-source code that allows DVD's to be played on alternative platforms. The actual trial will commence immediately following H2K on July 17, 2000 at the U.S. District Court in New York and will result in a major case law decision affecting the future of intellectual property and free speech in the digital age.

For more information and for press credentials, please contact 2600 Magazine at (631) 751-2600 and go to http://www.h2k.net