The conference succeeded in gathering previously unrelated subcultures of people who are interested in deploying Information Warfare tactics to create a more open society. Coincidentally, the conference dates rested upon the eve of an historic trial under way in New York City, Universal City Studios v Eric Corley. 2600 had posted on their Web site the source code for encryption which is used to control DVD playback. Describing themselves as 'media whores', the Cult of the Dead Cow gave an entertaining performance. Jello Biafra was one of the keynote speakers.
Many parallels exist between the cultures.
For example, all groups share a particular fondness of the First Amendment. A hacker and an activist both have inherent anarchistic tendencies within, but when put together a powerful force called hactivism is born. Another conference theme was how activists employed the use of technology and the Internet for independent media purposes. Johanson has paralyzed most of Hollywood with the scary thought of a lessening of profit gain from DVDs. Johanson and his father recounted all the events that have occurred ever since the day that he posted the DeCSS code online.