01/15/2004: 
Technologica
Bruce Schenier's Cryptogram
Bruce Schneier, computer security guru, author of the compsec bible Applied Cryptography, has recently expanded his oeuvre into security theory. His latest book, Beyond Fear is a very intelligent (if poorly written) book on why we have security, what it should and should not entail, and how to do effective security analysis.
For seven years, Schneier has published a monthly email newsletter called the Cryptogram. In the latest issue, he takes on the rise and lowering in threat levels, storing biometric data under the US-VISIT program, and a new credit card scam, among others. Schenier regularly covers the blunders and successes of Homeland Security, in the process providing thoughtful critique light years away from the well-worn police state/1984/Halliburton conspiracy theories.
2 Annotations Submitted
Thursday the 15th of January, prof_booty noted:
"well-worn police state/1984/Halliburton conspiracy theories."
well, i am going to assume that is a shot at me. any administration that hires adm. poindexter to oversee total information awareness does not have my best interests in mind. i don't care if he resigned, it indicates a persuasion among the policy elite that individual rights are secondary to the security of the companies that wield so much influence in the country. whether the "conspiracy" is a bunch of people sitting in a dark room plotting gloom and destruction, or just the confluence of big money influencing the campaigns on a national level, we cannot assume that without any less than constant vigilance this nation won't turn in to a police state.
Thursday the 15th of January, rafuzo noted:
It's a shot at anyone who foregoes sensible critique of government policy for melodramatic fearmongering. If the Bush Administration really is so bad, it's only a mark against oneself if the best analysis one can come up with is "well they're doing it for oil money/rich old people/to create a police state".
Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of the Homeland Security rules are wicker retahded and counterproductive. But I'd rather spend my time arguing (and reading) about WHY they are such than reading on moveon.org about how this just proves that Bush was spawned in a CIA tank from DNA stolen from Hitler.
