Find your danger!

Save talks and create a schedule to help you organise your festival experience.

Start here:

Your Plan
Cart
Your cart is empty
Subtotal
$0
Discount
$0
Booking Fee
$0
Total
$0
You must purchase tickets to a minimum of 3 different paid sessions to complete your Festival Multipack. Learn More
You must add paid tickets to your cart to qualify for Whole Glory. Learn More

Help us stay dangerous.

FODI is only made possible thanks to the support of our donors and donations. Your support will enable us to keep FODI going.

If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us

We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - the custodians of the country in which we meet - and acknowledge their Elders, past and present.
Stay Up To Date
Get the latest content and events from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and The Ethics Centre

Surveillance States

Edward Snowden
Chaired by Simon Longstaff
Thu 24 September 7:00pm FODI DIGITAL LIVE STREAM
Thu 24 September 7:00pm FODI DIGITAL LIVE STREAM
Edward Snowden has been condemned as a traitor and celebrated as a patriot. In his mind, he is simply a man of good conscience who has followed in the footsteps of family members who have faithfully served the people and Constitution of the USA since the War of Independence. This was the motivation behind his revelation of US secrets. Governments are now armed with technology that enables them to pry into every aspect of our lives…all in the name of security. Snowden asks us to consider the possibility that we may have more to fear from our own governments than from any external threat – and that our liberties have already been lost.

This session is supported and inspired by Simon Mordant AM and Catriona Mordant AM.

Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and grew up in the shadow of Fort Meade. A systems engineer by training, he served as an officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, and worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency. He has received numerous awards for his public service, including the Right Livelihood Award, the German Whistleblower Prize, the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling, and the Carl von Ossietzky Medal from the International League of Human Rights. Currently, he serves as president of the board of directors of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

More

Simon Longstaff

CO-CURATOR

Simon Longstaff began his working life on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory of Australia. He is proud of his kinship ties to the Anindilyakwa people. After a period studying law in Sydney and teaching in Tasmania, he pursued postgraduate studies as a Member of Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1991, Simon commenced his work as the first Executive Director of The Ethics Centre. In 2013, he was made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to the community through the promotion of ethical standards in governance and business, to improving corporate responsibility, and to philosophy.” Simon is an Adjunct Professor of the Australian Graduate School of Management at UNSW, a Fellow of CPA Australia, the Royal Society of NSW and the Australian Risk Policy Institute.

More
Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.
Edward Snowden
Tickets