The TEDxPeachtree team spoke with some of the upcoming speakers at TEDxPeachtree on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017 at the Rialto Center for the Arts to dig beneath the surface of their biographies. In this edition of Beyond the Bio, we spoke with Justin Daniels, a cyberspace connector who is hosting Atlanta Cyber Week from Oct 2-6, and an attorney at the law firm Baker Donelson Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

Why are you speaking at TEDxPeachtree 2017?

It’s a good opportunity to talk about cybersecurity — the most important issue in all of technology. Innovation now occurs so rapidly that it overwhelms our ability to understand it. I want to try and get people to think about how innovation impacts our security.  

Other passions?

I love squash. I’ve also learned how to kayak and do standup paddleboard.  My favorite vacation is skiing in Colorado.

Sports are still my thing. I played baseball in high school and college, but lacked the talent to go pro.

If you weren’t an attorney, what would you be doing?

I would be a full-time entrepreneur. I’m already doing that somewhat with my work in helping establish Atlanta’s cybersecurity ecosystem.

I like to take risks and build things. I admire the people I’m working with. Just goes to show you can always learn something new and be excited about it.

How did you get to Atlanta?

I’m from Pittsburgh. After law school [Duquesne], the economy was so bad in my hometown that I came down to Atlanta to visit family and go to job interviews. I was offered a job in 48 hours.  

Who is your alter ego?

In many respects it’s my wife. We are both very passionate, we work really hard and we set goals and try hard to achieve them.  

In this era of massive technological innovation, what’s the one invention you can’t wait for?

I can’t wait for the transporter in Star Trek.

And what is the invention that terrifies you the most?

In certain respects it’s social media. There are no rules. People operate in echo chambers. They say things about people that they would never say to those people in person.  

More thoughts on technology?

I agree with Elon Musk in that we must start considering how the AI (artificial intelligence) in drones might impact our security. Digitization and technology potentially impact our freedom and democratic form of government. There’s not an industry that doesn’t have a cybersecurity concern. We have to be proactive, not reactive.