Call for Proposals 2025

We’re doing things a little (a lot) differently this year!
BSides CambridgeMA 2025 will feature two distinct parts:

Part 1: Talks!

Runs approximately 0830 – 1130. This portion will be a structured conference with a single presentation track. Please consider submitting a proposal for one or more of the following formats:

10 minute Lightning Talk (max 1 speaker)
25-55 minute Presentation + Q&A (up to 2 speakers)
25-55 minute Panel Discussion (max 3 panelists + 1 moderator)

Part 2: Workshops!

Runs approximately 1145 – 1330. We intend to host several hands-on workshops that will all run simultaneously, intended to share knowledge and give participants an opportunity to get hands-on practice with new tools or skills in real time. Participants can rotate around to each station at their discretion. Please consider submitting a proposal to run a workshop.

A list of suggested topics for presentations and workshops can be found at the end of the CFP.

Submission deadline is June 30, 2025

The theme for BSides CambridgeMA 2025 is LFG

Proposal Criteria

We are NO LONGER accepting proposals in the general space of information security and hacking.

Any proposal submitted MUST directly address, or be adjacent to, the following subjects:

information security and reproductive health in the post-Roe era
opting out of surveillance capitalism
privacy & data protection
free and open source software (FOSS)
hacktivism
darknets
peer-to-peer applications & networks
operational security (opsec)
open source intelligence gathering (OSINT)
cryptography
cryptocurrency
threat modeling
cybercrime & law
safe use of LLM models and agents
countervailing needs of security, privacy, and transparency
data persistence and integrity in adversarial environments

FURTHERMORE, proposals MUST be relevant to individuals, activists, journalists, community organizations, cooperatives, and/or not-for-profits.

Furthermore, software recommended for use MUST be open-source AND either:

capable of running on consumer-grade hardware, OR
accessible to end users for less than < $100 / mo

Closed-source software, proprietary models, or anything that is exclusively for the benefit of for-profit corporations shall be rejected.

Highest priority will be given to proposals that provide practical, useful knowledge or actionable proposals for participants.

Proposals from women, NBs, POC, LGBTQIA shall be given priority.

Proposals from members of not-for-profit organizations and open-source projects such as Tor Project, Dyne, EFF, T4RJ, Veilid, GrapheneOS, May First, etc. shall be given priority.

Please be as detailed as possible, including an outline if available. Proposals will be reviewed as anonymously as can be managed. Proposals will be reviewed by a diverse panel of individuals from the community.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria (in rough order of importance):

Thought and detail conveyed in the abstract
Practicality
Timeliness
Accessibility (highly technical proposals are welcome, but should be approached in a way that offers value to a broader audience)
Relevance to the local community

To submit your proposal:

Send an email to bsidescambridgeMA[@]proton[.]me
Use the subject line: SESSION PROPOSAL 2025
Include the following information in your email body:
- contact information (this will be masked for the Review Board)
  - how you’d like to be called (i.e., name or pseudonym)
  - pronouns (“prefer not to say” is valid)
  - social media handle (if any)
  - email address (required)
- proposal information
  - Session Title
  - Session Abstract / Synopsis
    - Be sure to include a brief description of how this proposal will provide useful and/or actionable knowledge for individuals, activists, community organizations, cooperatives, and/or not-for-profits.
    - Be sure to call out which theme (listed above) your proposal relates to
  - A list of software / services recommended for use:
    - Is the software open source? Link to the repository (This is a requirement)
    - Is the service accessible for < $100? Link to a storefront page
  - Be sure to mention if the speakers and/or the organization you represent should be given priority according to the criteria listed above

Please read the proposal instructions carefully as failure to include these required elements will result in your proposal being rejected. Content must be in the body of the email itself (i.e., not linked to a hosted document).

Part 1: Talks!

Part 2: Workshops!

Submission deadline is June 30, 2025

Proposal Criteria

To submit your proposal:

Suggested Topics & Workshops