NDSS Symposium 2026 Terms and Conditions of Attendance and Participation
These are the terms and conditions (the “Agreement”) governing your participation in the 2026 Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium (“NDSS 2026” or “Event”). By registering for NDSS 2026 you agree to this Agreement, which forms a binding legal contract between NDSS 2026 owner and host, Internet Society (“ISOC” or “Owner and Organizer”) and the registered participant (“you” or “Participant”). If you are registering on behalf of another individual, it is your responsibility to ensure the person participating is aware of these terms and conditions in the Agreement and accepts them. By completing the registration on behalf of another individual you are warranting that you have made the Participant aware of these terms and conditions in the Agreement and that they have accepted them.
1. Participant Requirements
1.1 Access. Subject to the other terms of this Agreement, your registration entitles you to access to NDSS 2026. Any and all other costs associated with your attendance shall be borne solely by you, and ISOC and NDSS 2026 shall have no liability for such costs. It is your sole responsibility to secure any visa necessary to attend the Event. If you require an entry visa to attend the Event, you must allow sufficient time for the visa application procedure and are responsible for complying with all of the terms of that visa, including timely departure from the United States.
1.2 Use of Likeness. While ISOC will make best efforts to avoid photographing or filming those participants who express an unwillingness to be photographed, filmed, or recorded, ISOC cannot make any guarantees that your likeness will not be captured at NDSS 2026. By participating in NDSS 2026 you acknowledge and agree to grant ISOC the right at NDSS 2026 to record, film, live stream, photograph, or capture your likeness in any media and to distribute, broadcast, or otherwise use or globally disseminate, in perpetuity, such media without any further approval from you or any payment to you. This grant to ISOC includes, but is not limited to, the right to edit such media, the right to use the media alone or together with other information, and the right to allow others to use or disseminate the media.
1.3 Health and Safety Requirements. You agree to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local public health laws, regulations, and guidelines, as well as any health and safety requirements established by the Event venue, while attending the Event. ISOC reserves the right to implement additional health and safety measures as deemed necessary to protect the health and safety of Event participants, including measures related to communicable diseases. You agree to comply with any such measures as a condition of your continued participation in the Event.
1.4 ASSUMPTION OF RISK. NOTWITHSTANDING OUR BEST EFFORTS, AN INHERENT RISK OF EXPOSURE TO COMMUNICABLE DISEASES EXISTS IN ANY PUBLIC SPACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE PRESENT. BY ATTENDING THE EVENT, YOU VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ANY AND ALL RISKS RELATED TO EXPOSURE TO COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO VIRUSES, BACTERIA, AND OTHER INFECTIOUS AGENTS, FROM THE EVENT, AND HEREBY RELEASE ISOC FROM LIABILITY IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.
2. Prohibited Conduct
2.1 Disruptive Conduct. You acknowledge and agree that ISOC reserves the right to remove you from NDSS 2026 if ISOC, in its sole discretion, determines that your participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder NDSS 2026 or the enjoyment of NDSS 2026 content by other attendees or violate this Agreement. Participants removed from NDSS 2026 are not eligible for refunds.
3. Intellectual Property
3.1 NDSS is committed to the open access of research. All authors and contributors at NDSS 2026 retain their ownership of the intellectual property in their works. The papers published at NDSS 2026 will be made freely available to the public.
3.2 All intellectual property rights in and to NDSS 2026 are owned by ISOC. All intellectual property rights in materials distributed at or in connection with NDSS by NDSS 2026 sponsors are owned by such NDSS sponsors. You may not use or reproduce or allow anyone to use or reproduce any trademarks or other trade names appearing at NDSS 2026, in any NDSS content, or in any materials distributed at or in connection with NDSS 2026 for any reason without the prior written permission of the trademark or trade name owner.
3.3 For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to vest in you any legal or beneficial right in or to any trademarks or other intellectual property rights owned or used under license by ISOC or any of its affiliates; nor does this Agreement grant to you any right or license to any other intellectual property rights of ISOC or its affiliates, all of which shall at all times remain the exclusive property of ISOC and its affiliates.
4. Disclaimer of Warranties, Limitation of Liability
4.1 ISOC gives no warranties in respect of any aspect of NDSS 2026 or any materials related thereto or offered at NDSS 2026 and, to the fullest extent possible under the laws governing this Agreement, disclaims any and all express or implied warranties, including but not limited to warranties of fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, timeliness, non-infringement, and merchantability. NDSS 2026 is provided on an “as-is” basis. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the speakers, attendees, or sponsors at NDSS 2026 or in any materials related thereto are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of ISOC or any staff thereof. ISOC and NDSS make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability, or validity of any information presented by speakers, attendees, or sponsors at NDSS 2026 or in any materials related thereto and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.
4.2 Except as required by law, neither ISOC nor its affiliates shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential costs, damages or losses arising directly or indirectly from NDSS 2026 or other aspect arising out of or related thereto or arising out of or related to this Agreement, even if ISOC has been informed of the possibility of such damages or losses.
5. Event Modification and Refund Policy
5.1 If you are unable to attend the event for personal reasons, you may request a 50% refund on or before 31 January 2026. No refunds will be provided for requests received on or after 1 February 2026, unless otherwise provided for as set forth in this Section.
5.2 Events or occurrences beyond ISOC’s reasonable control (such as natural disasters, explosions, riots, wars, acts of terrorism, and embargoes or other changes to applicable laws) may cause ISOC to alter, postpone, or cancel the Event in part or in its entirety.
5.3 In the event ISOC cancels the Event pursuant to Section 4.2, ISOC will notify Registrants and provide Registrants with refunds as set forth below, provided that the Registrant submit a request for the refund in writing to [email protected]. ISOC may withhold any refund not requested within 30 days of ISOC’s notification of the Event’s modification or cancelation.
5.3.1 Virtual Event. If the event is modified by being held completely virtually, with no in-person attendance, Registrants may receive a 50% refund.
5.3.2 Date Change. If ISOC modifies the date of the Event, the Registrant’s registration will not be affected. However, if the date change results in the Registrant’s inability to attend, Registrants may request to re-assign their registration (without refund) or request a refund of 90% of their registration fee. In order to ensure maximum attendance, requests for refunds in this case must be received no later than two weeks prior to the Event date (unless the date of ISOC’s notice of change is within that two week period, in which case the Registrant may request a 90% refund).
5.3.3 Virtual Event and Date Change. If ISOC modifies the Event by changing the date and holding it virtually, Registrants who are able to attend may receive a 50% refund in accordance with Section 4.3.1 (Virtual Event). Registrants who are unable to attend may request a refund in accordance with Section 4.3.2 (Date Change).
5.3.4 Event Cancelation. If ISOC cancels the Event, Registrants may receive a 90% refund.
5.4 Sole Remedy. The refunds set forth in this Section are the Registrant’s exclusive remedy in the event of Event cancelation or modification. ISOC is not responsible for any consequential damages, including airline, hotel, or other costs.
6. Miscellaneous
6.1 Choice of Law. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia without regard to its conflict of laws principles.