Commentary: 
Summary of Changes Proposed for the Security and Privacy Symposium of 
Berkeley/Oakland, Calfornia,
May 23-25, 2011

by Hilarie Orman
7/18/2011

By all measures, the 32nd Security and Privacy Symposium was a smashing success. Following on the heels of the "30th Anniversary Celebration" of 2010, the 2011 Symposium had more papers, more press coverage, and more attendees than any previous conference.

The conference "sold out" because the meeting room for this single-track conference could not hold any more people. Even some early registrants were put on a waiting list. A comfortable "overflow room" with live audio and slide projection attracted only a few people, and most elected to vie for seats in the main room.

The traditional venue, the Claremont Hotel on the border between Berkeley and Oakland in California, shone in its complete remodeling of the interior and guest rooms. A jazz group played in the foyer for evening events, the receptions were well-attended and guests were plyed with delicious appetizers.

At the Tuesday evening business sessions, the organizers had to face up to the unhappy fact that the conference could no longer remain at the Claremont if was to accommodate the expected demand for more than 420 attendees in 2012.

Therefore, the conference organizers immediately delved into the problem of finding a nearby venue for late May, 2012 and also 2013. This is not an easy task, and the consequences involve paying early cancellation fees to the Claremont and negotiating contracts using substantial time from IEEE Computer Society employees. This process is underway, and the announcement of a new venue should follow shortly. Keep in touch by visiting the 2012 website, http://ieee-security.org/TC/SP2012.

Another innovation is in store for 2012. The workshops associated with the symposium will have their own organizational team, and they are working on increasing the number of workshops and ensuring a continuing level of high-quality. Keep in touch by visiting the 2012 workshop website, http://ieee-security.org/TC/SPW2012.

Attendees also expressed a strong desire for relaxing the access rules that result from assigning copyright for the technical proceedings to the IEEE. The 2011 proceedings are now online at http://ieee-security.org/TC/SP2011. This is done in accordance with rules specified in the IEEE Computer Society's Policies and Procedures Manual.

Finally, attendees said they wanted a longer technical program, if the quality could be maintained. Accordingly, the planning for 2012 is using the premise that the last day of the conference will have at least one session after lunch.

Read more about the business meeting and the conference results at www.ieee-security.org/TC/Reports.html.

     Hilarie Orman
     Chair, Technical Committee on Security and Privacy