8 conversations shaping technology

2016's SXSW Interactive conference – an annual event that brings together leaders in technology, media and music – will have two new high-profile speakers: the President and First Lady. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be speaking during a period of intense focus on the tech industry, with Apple CEO Tim Cook’s open letter challenging the FBI’s request to aid in unlocking a terror suspect’s iPhone, Twitter announcing an online safety panel, and more companies getting into the “cord-cutting” business.

As conference-goers gather in Austin (TX), here are eight key conversations about internet and technology today:

1) Privacy vs security
2) Personal data concerns
3) Online harassment
4) Smartphones as a central part of the digital world
5) The rise of the ‘gig economy’
6) ‘Cord cutters’
7) Diversity in tech companies
8) The openness of the global web