Def Con hackers and 'feds' reach an uneasy detente

Las Vegas

THERE was some bridge-building, but a real rift remained on Saturday between US spy agencies and the world's most infamous hacker gathering.

Scandalous revelations about sweeping online snooping by intelligence agents caused fury in the Def Con hacker community two years ago. That led founder Jeff Moss to call for a "cooling off period" during which "feds" avoided coming near the annual conference in Las Vegas.