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| The computer security paradox |
| 摘自: www.raiden.net 被阅读次数: 24 |
由 yangyi 于 2008-05-09 23:03:23 提供 |
Written by Steve Lake 05.07.2008 at 08:59am Section: Editorials One of the most prized rights of any American is the right to privacy and security. It's something people in some countries would kill for. Yet now there appears to be a very frightening trend growing. Your privacy and security are being thrown out the window wholesale in favor of easier access by law enforcement. A recent example of this can be seen with the announcement that Microsoft has been providing a tool to investigators that can effectively rip your Windows security to shreds in seconds, exposing all your private data to whoever wants to look at it. And if that wasn't bad enough, just days later, word came down the pipe that the TSA and Homeland Security are free to search your laptop at the border anytime they so please. And these two aren't the only examples. There's pages and pages of stories that tell about how your computer privacy and security are being tossed out the window, and your private, personal data being stripped naked for anyone to see. If you're even the slightest bit human, this ought to terrify you. But at the same time, your quest for what is your God given right makes you no friend of law enforcement. Your quest for security and privacy makes their job a lot harder. Of course if you're a good, law abiding citizen, you should have no problems with anyone from the TSA, Homeland Security, the police, or any other law enforcement branch diving through your personal files at will. Right? Wrong. Personal data is kept private for a reason. Your livelihood, your family, your bank accounts, personal history, medical history, and so much more can be contained in there. Trade secrets are another thing that you could be holding onto. Not in a bad way, but rather as part of what you do for a living. Your job could be at risk if those leak out. In short, even if you don't realize it, there's a lot of confidential data and copyrighted information on your computer that legally you either can't let other people see, or shouldn't. You may not think you have any, but in reality you do. Everyone has at least a little bit of it on their computer, and that data is worth protecting at all costs. The problem with that is, criminals have data they need to protect too. So this in turn sets up a moral dilemma. If you believe in security and privacy for the individual, especially through encryption and other computer security systems, you're aiding and abetting criminals because the same tools you use to protect your privacy can be used by them to hide incriminating evidence from law enforcement. Don't think you are? Consider this. Any security measure available out there available to you to help protect your personal data is also available to any criminal who so chooses to use them. But if you're all for stopping criminals by giving law enforcement the tools and security back doors needed to catch and convict these same criminals, you're still in the same situation. By allowing easy access to personal data for law enforcement, you're aiding and abetting criminals by making it easier for them to get at your data too which they can then in turn use to commit crimes. So in the end you're back to square one. Kind of gives the old phrase "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" a whole new meaning. So what do you do? Do you side with law enforcement and allow easy access to computers? Or do you choose to protect your privacy and security while hindering law enforcement? I for one choose the second. Why? Because, if I'm screwed going both ways, I want to know that my personal data won't get into someone else's hands. The less of my data they have, the less chance it'll be used for something I don't approve of, such as a crime. Now I for one would love to help law enforcement be able to do their job easier, while at the same time protecting my personal freedom, privacy, and security. The problem is, reality doesn't work that way. You get one, or the other, but never both. And since denying access to my information to criminals is the less damaging and dangerous scenario, I'll take the later. The benefits of security and privacy for the individual (or corporation) significantly outweighs the benefits of easy access by law enforcement. The simple justification for that view is this. It's better to have tight security and make the police struggle to solve a couple of crimes, than it is to have lax or easily breakable security and end up with 100 times as many crimes, many of which will very likely negatively impact you. I don't think there's a police officer on the planet who wouldn't say that it's better to prevent a crime, than it is to have easy ways to solve it after it happens. Consider this as well. The fewer the crimes committed, the fewer there are that law enforcement has to solve, which makes everyone happier. And in today's world, I'm sure the police would enjoy having a slightly shorter work list than they have now. So all in all, despite all the paranoid banter about "needing better forensic tools in order to stop the bad guys", it is still better to employ and use security methods that protect your privacy and security first and foremost. Because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Original link: http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid... |
