Bill Frantz, Churchill Club, Privacy

Bill Frantz wrote an excellent review of the recent "Churchill Club: 20th
Anniversary of Public Key Crypto" dinner & forum at the San Francisco
Airport Marriott Hotel, an event which I attended.
 
Bill's summary particularly caught my attention:
 
      Impressions:  In conversation afterwards, I noted that discussion
      of personal privacy seemed to be politically incorrect in this
      group.  Unless it directly supported corporate commerce, we didn't
      discuss it.
 
It's worth noting that "privacy" and "security" -- in the practical Big
Brother and corporate worlds -- are often opposites. In many instances, 
(personal) "privacy" shields individuals from organizations; whereas,
"security" protects organizations from individuals. For example, when a
corporation proudly announces that it has installed greater "security,"
it invariably means that the corporation has stepped up ways to spy upon
employees. For obvious reasons, it is "politically incorrect" to discuss
these issues in many quarters of society.
 
See you in the future,
Andre Bacard
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abacard@well.com                    Bacard wrote "The Computer Privacy
Stanford, California                Handbook" [Intro by Mitchell Kapor].
"Playboy" Interview (See Below)     Published by Peachpit Press, (800)
http://www.well.com/user/abacard    283-9444, ISBN # 1-56609-171-3.
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Andre Bacard writes:
> It's worth noting that "privacy" and "security" -- in the practical Big
> Brother and corporate worlds -- are often opposites. In many instances, 
> (personal) "privacy" shields individuals from organizations; whereas,
> "security" protects organizations from individuals. For example, when a
> corporation proudly announces that it has installed greater "security,"
> it invariably means that the corporation has stepped up ways to spy upon
> employees.

I would say this is very much untrue in the computer world.

Security implies things like encrypting links, using cryptographic
authentication of logins, installing firewalls, etc. -- not mass
employee surveillance.

Perry