SXSW Secret Agents

SXSW Interactive adds most controversial name to lineup with addition of Edward Snowden

Move over Julian Assange, there's an even bigger name heading to SXSW Interactive this year. SXSW announced Tuesday morning that it is adding former NSA contractor — turned whistleblower — Edward Snowden to the official lineup.

Appearing via teleconference, presumably from Russia where he currently has asylum following the release of thousands of classified documents revealing the NSA's extensive surveillance program of both U.S. citizens and allied governments, Snowden will be speaking on March 10 with Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist of the American Civil Liberties Union. The conversation will discuss surveillance and online privacy, a topic that will likely be a hot-button issue at this year's conference.

As the ACLU press release points out, this is Snowden's "first conversation in front of an audience since his disclosures began making global headlines last year." The documents Snowden released made him not only an enemy of the state in his home country, but rocked relationships abroad, most notably with Germany after it was revealed that the U.S. government may have tapped German Chancellor Angela Merkel's private cell phone.

Also moderating will be Snowden's legal counsel, undoubtedly there to ensure that Snowden does not further incriminate himself as he attempts to seek clemency from the U.S. government, something the Obama administration has repeatedly said it will not grant. Perhaps the most exciting part of the panel is that Snowden has agreed to take questions directly from the audience.

"A Virtual Conversation with Edward Snowden," which, we predict, will be the hottest panel during SXSW Interactive, will be held at Exhibit Hall 5 on the first floor of the Austin Convention Center and open to Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge holders only.

For those of us who can't be there in person, The Texas Tribune will be livestreaming the event.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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