DEF CON Bans Three High-Profile Tech Figures Amid Renewed Jeffrey Epstein Fallout

Every year, thousands of hackers arrive in Las Vegas for DEF CON, one of the largest hacking and security conferences. This week, the conference made quite a statement: it banned three well-known figures after their names surfaced in newly released files tied to the American financier and socialite, Jeffrey Epstein. 

The names, Pablos Holman, Vincenzo Iozzo, and Joichi Ito, were added to DEF CON’s public “Banned Individuals,” a list the conference maintains for people it does not want on site. Organisers pointed to their appearance in the U.S. Department of Justice’s latest document release and to reporting about email exchanges with Epstein. 

Iozzo, a long-time cybersecurity executive and founder of identity startup SlashID, pushed back. Through a spokesperson, he called the move “entirely performative,” adding it was “a rush to judgement not based on any investigation or wrongdoing.”  

He has previously said his interactions with Epstein were limited to business conversations about markets and emerging technology, and that he “never observed nor participated in any illegal activity or behavior.” 

Just days earlier, Black Hat and Code Blue removed Iozzo from advisory pages. In an industry where reputation is the currency, being removed from conference boards may sting more than a press release. 

Ito’s inclusion reopens old wounds. As former director of the MIT Media Lab, he resigned in 2019 after revelations about financial ties to Epstein. Holman, now a venture partner at Deep Future, was reportedly in contact with Epstein for years and once discussed attending DEF CON alongside him. DEF CON founder Jeff Moss has said, “Epstein never attended,” at least to his knowledge. 

So why now? 

“My hope is that by doing this DEF CON will encourage other conventions to duplicate this reporting and share their data so collectively we can shed some light on the challenge we face in creating more safe and inclusive events,” the Dark Tangent said on DEF CON. 

Today, sponsors, attendees, and volunteers expect clearer ethical standards. Removing names from speaker pages or banning badges becomes a way to signal values, and not just manage optics.