The Frida Cinema Santa Ana, CA
Dr. Giovanni Vigna
Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California in Santa Barbara; Director, NSF AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation (ACTION) at UCSB
moderated byAtalia Lopez
Frida Cinema Board Member
Searching— Is the “internet apocalypse” nigh?
Program Description
What is our "digital footprint?" Our actions, our comments, and our relationships are continuously recorded, shared, and commented on—sometimes, we're not even aware of what information is collected. Our digital identity is composed of threads, crumbs, and hints that may seem unrelated and disconnected but, together, can form a rich digital representation of our lives. Discover the inner workings of our digital life with Dr Giovanni Vigna of UC Santa Barbara, who will present an illuminating talk on cybersecurity and its depiction in Aneesh Chaganty's 2018 film Searching. Drawing from his research in vulnerability analysis, web security, and artificial intelligence, Dr Vigna will explore the film’s portrayal of digital threats and human behavior in the modern world, highlighting central themes of the digital age: Is our digital life more “real” than our physical life? How can we balance privacy and safety? What are the limits to our desire to represent ourselves differently from who we are?
Presented At
The Frida Cinema Santa Ana, CA
Film Synopsis
In this thriller that unfolds entirely on computer screens, the desperate father of a missing 16-year-old girl breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her.
After David Kim's (John Cho) 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever.
About the Speaker
Dr. Giovanni Vigna is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California in Santa Barbara, and the director of the NSF AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation (ACTION) at UCSB. He was the CTO and co-founder of Lastline, Inc., a company that provides anti-malware solutions. Lastline was acquired by VMware, Inc., in June 2020, which, in turn, was acquired by Broadcom, Inc., in November 2023. Since then, Dr. Vigna leads the Threat Analysis Unit in the ANS business unit at Broadcom.
Atalia Lopez is an Australian transplant, Letterboxd devotee, and Frida Cinema board member. She teaches classes on the intersection of film, literature, and the urban environment at Chapman University, where she also completed her undergraduate studies in literature, with a Master's Degree from the University of Oxford.