Argues that the old surveillance paradigms do not fit the new technologies and offers a set of principles to govern wiretapping policy that will allow us to protect national security and freedom.
Digital communications are the lifeblood of modern society. We "meet up"online, tweet our reactions millions of times a day, connect through social networking rather thanin person. Large portions of business and commerce have moved to the Web, and much of our criticalinfrastructure, including the electric power grid, is controlled online. This reliance oninformation systems leaves us highly exposed and vulnerable to cyberattack. Despite this, U.S. lawenforcement and national security policy remain firmly focused on wiretapping and surveillance. But,as cybersecurity expert Susan Landau argues in Surveillance or Security?, the oldsurveillance paradigms do not easily fit the new technologies. By embedding eavesdropping mechanismsinto communication technology itself, we are building tools that could be turned against us andopting for short-term security and creating dangerous long-term risks.
How can weget communications security right? Landau offers a set of principles to govern wiretapping policythat will allow us to protect our national security as well as our freedom.
How, in the name of greater security, our current electronic surveillance policiesare creating major security risks.
