Fergie's Tech Blog

Post 9/11 Security Measures Doing More Harm Than Good

Sumner Lemon writes on InfoWorld:

Many of the security measures put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York are doing more harm than good, said two speakers scheduled to present at the Hack In The Box Security Conference (HITB) this week.

The effect of many security measures put in place by governments after Sept. 11 has been to strengthen control over their citizens and erode democratic freedoms, said Roberto Preatoni, a security consultant who works in Italy. "The Internet allows you to do more effective things regarding controlling the population," he said.

"Before, we were just being spied on," said Fabio Ghioni, vice president and security CTO of Telecom Italia. Now, governments are using psychological operations and technology to prey upon their citizens' fears and extend their own power, he said.

"Technology makes it easier for us to be brainwashed, make us accept less and less freedom," Ghioni said.

posted by Fergie @ 9/18/2006 08:44:00 AM