HOPE#9
DARPA Funding for Hackers, Hackerspaces, and Education: A Good Thing?
July 2012
New York City, NY
H.O.P.E. stands for Hackers On Planet Earth, one of the most creative and diverse hacker events in the world. It’s been happening since 1994.
DARPA, an agency of the U.S. military, has funded many famous projects over the past several decades, including GPS and the Internet. DARPA is now making grant funding available for hackers and hackerspaces. Does it matter that DARPA is responsible for U.S. military tech? What are the ethics of using funds from people or organizations that may or may not align with one’s own goals? What are the ramifications for the hacker/maker movement? Is DARPA funding overall a good thing? There is no simple answer.
Role
Spoke to hundreds of hackers locally (and more over time remotely) about having integrity while navigating the funding landscape.
