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Tech Conferences Moving North as Trump Policies Turn Off Attendees (financialpost.com)
The Collision Conference, one of North America's most influential technology gatherings, tweeted on Tuesday: "We've got some news. It's about Toronto. But we'll let Justin Trudeau tell you about it." What followed was a video in which the prime minister announced that Collision, which typically boasts 25,000 attendees, will be coming to Canada in 2019. From a report: "I'm happy you chose Toronto to host North America's fastest growing tech conference for the next three years, but I have to say, I'm not completely surprised," Trudeau said. "Toronto is a key global tech hub and an example of the diversity that is our strength." And Collision is not alone in coming north. At least two other major technology conferences have recently made the decision to relocate to Canada, lured in part by Toronto's burgeoning tech sector, but also driven by travel restrictions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, policies that have left organizers scrambling to accommodate those who can't visit the United States.
In mid-April, Creative Commons, an international non-profit dedicated to the legal sharing of digital content, held their global summit in Toronto for the second year in a row. "The political climate in the U.S., specifically the open hostility from the current administration towards many international communities, and the anxiety from those we work with about how they might be treated was definitely a deciding factor," said Ryan Merkley, CEO of Creative Commons. "What's most unfortunate is that this approach is so inconsistent with the views of the many collaborative communities we work with every day in the U.S."
At Access Now, a non-profit that organizes the RightsCon digital rights conference, Trump's travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries hit close to home. "One of our interns at the time was an Iranian citizen with a U.S. green card, and she wasn't able to leave the country to go to Brussels to help us organize the (2017) event," RightsCon director Nick Dagostino said. For years, RightsCon has alternated between San Francisco and a series of global venues, and after last year's event in Brussels, heading back to California would have been the natural choice. But then, people started telling Access Now that if the event happened in the U.S., they wouldn't show up.
In mid-April, Creative Commons, an international non-profit dedicated to the legal sharing of digital content, held their global summit in Toronto for the second year in a row. "The political climate in the U.S., specifically the open hostility from the current administration towards many international communities, and the anxiety from those we work with about how they might be treated was definitely a deciding factor," said Ryan Merkley, CEO of Creative Commons. "What's most unfortunate is that this approach is so inconsistent with the views of the many collaborative communities we work with every day in the U.S."
At Access Now, a non-profit that organizes the RightsCon digital rights conference, Trump's travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries hit close to home. "One of our interns at the time was an Iranian citizen with a U.S. green card, and she wasn't able to leave the country to go to Brussels to help us organize the (2017) event," RightsCon director Nick Dagostino said. For years, RightsCon has alternated between San Francisco and a series of global venues, and after last year's event in Brussels, heading back to California would have been the natural choice. But then, people started telling Access Now that if the event happened in the U.S., they wouldn't show up.
Are we going to get polar bear replant in grab bags? Also should we be concerned with crazy speed limits (e.g. 60 on a side streets)? Also, I don't speak French, so would I be able to book a hotel? Also, I heard they put mayo on everything and Canadian Bacon isn't real bacon.
I lived in the US (studied, then worked); I have good friends there; I have a Swiss passport, so no problem for me at all entering the US. But I have chosen not to go there anymore, for the past two years (that includes at least one technical conference per year).
Two reasons for me: #1) I don't feel safe anymore in a country that has such an unpredictable and authoritarian police force, and #2) I don't think it is ethical of me to condone the current US policies towards foreigners (of which I am one), even though I would personally (probably) would have not problems while visiting.
I would love to go back, but will not do it while these conditions last.
These are not tech conferences. Two of those are activism conferences, and Collision is near-tech.
Canada has the best 21-days summer of every country in the world.
#DeleteFacebook
and yet, the ban doesn't cover any of the 4 countries where the 9-11 attackers came from (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Lebanon and Egypt). Nor does it cover the countries producing more recent terrorists (Afghanistan & Pakistan). It only seems to cover what the president would call "shithole" countries. But no, you must be right, it's all about terrorism.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
Spoken like someone who has never lived in Canada...so let me enlighten you. When you enter Canada:
(1) You are not greeted with somber armed guards giving you stern looks and barking monosyllable words.
(2) You are not fingerprinted, photographed, or otherwise put through a "mild" police arrest process
(3) People actually don't care what color your skin is or which country you came from. All they care about is who you are and what you do. For proof, check out the Canadian Defense Minister and try to imagine how much uproar you'd get in US if the Secretary of Defense looked like him.
(4) Above all, observe how much more civilized the society is over there.
So why is it a surprise that modern conferences would feel more at home there than in the US?
PS For visceral contrast between the two countries, watch the video of the police take down of the suspect who had just rammed down two dozen people on the sidewalk: [Youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOW05IVejNE
Did you see any paramilitary police force in the video? Did you hear Canada raising the terror alert or people calling for banning whatever ethnicity that moron was from? Did you even hear his name or ethnicity while the crap was going down during the day?
Now imagine the same incident happening in the US. Heck imagine holding a cell phone in your grandparents backyard while your back is to the cops...oh wait, you don't have to imagine that last one; it actually happened.
Kind of funny punishing one of the states most vocal against President Trump.
It isn't like there is a different set of federal customs and border control agencies for california.
And calling it punishment is supremely narcissistic. Its not punishing anyone to spend your money where you feel most appreciated.
Perhaps that is true. However, there is also the issue that visas in general are harder to get even if you're not on the travel ban. I am an American, living in France and I know that some of my colleagues do not want to travel to the US (for business or pleasure) due to the hassle. This has to be reducing the number of people who want to visit for any reason. This type of feedback probably gets back to the people who run conferences and may have an effect on where they choose to hold them.
I know from personal my own travels that entering the US (even as an American) is a worse experience than entering France. The American border control just seems hostile - the way they question people, etc. I always feel unwelcome when returning despite their big signs saying "Welcome to the US". When entering France they just glance at the passport, stamp it and let you through (I'm sure they already pre-screened me somehow). Note that the hostility also exists when entering the UK- perhaps it is a general Anglo-Saxon problem.
This day in Slashdot history : US Losing its Scientific Dominance Posted by CowboyNeal on Monday May 03, 2004.
So as much as I hate Trump, this is not something new. He is just the one that sees that the bucket is filled faster and wil be the one that causes it to overflow.
But do not kid yourself. This is not a Trump problem, this is an American problem that is caused by both the right and right of right bi-party system.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
It's not really punishment, it's looking out for the safety of the attendees.
Crossing the US border is dangerous. You have few rights and your possessions can be searched or confiscated. You can detained for long periods of time without warning. Plus, the travel ban affects a lot of people who might want to attend, and it's hard to predict what the situation might be by the time the conference actually happens.
If they don't move they will lose out to conferences in other places.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Since Bush. This all started with 9/11.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
I'm guessing you haven't actually come back into the US in a while. It *is* dangerous. My wife and I came back from a lunch in Ontario's Fort Erie, and the Border Patrol person didn't hear what my wife, in the passenger seat, said in reply to one of his questions. I repeated what she said - for his benefit - and he jumped all over us, threatening us with federal prison for lying to a federal agent. I just repeated her answer - that's it. These fuck-tards can have your ass thrown in jail for the most trivial of things, in addition to what the OP said. That just about makes it a form of Russian Roulette. I consider that dangerous - to the point where if I don't have to come back into MY OWN COUNTRY, I'll take a pass on it.