Schneier on Security

uk visa • October 29, 2009 5:35 PM

It's not a great read but it is worth reading, if for no other reason for seeing how little Mr Gaffney told them... a clip below (Bruce, I hope it's OK to copy it here).
I love:
'I can’t get into some of the specific details of the kind of work that will go on...'
Nobody asked him:
Tell us some of the details you can tell us.
And 'You have a fantastic set of elected representatives and senators...'
Oh please, what baloney.

QUESTION: Could you talk a little bit about what kind of data will be screened at the center? How does it work?

MR. GAFFNEY: I can’t get into some of the specific details of the kind of work that will go on at the center because it is a critical aspect of the way we are looking at doing cybersecurity going
forward. I can say that it is – the reason why we are doing the center is because of the deep level of technical expertise that’s needed to understand the nature of the threats. And then how we use that understanding of that threat throughout the Intelligence Community, Homeland Security, the Defense Department, in order to better secure the nation’s infrastructure.

QUESTION: And if we can’t understand what you’re doing, how do we know that you’re not infringing on personal freedoms?

MR. GAFFNEY: Okay, well, one of the key ways, as the governor talked about – the checks and balances. You have a fantastic set of elected representatives and senators who provide oversight
through the committees that we talked about.

The level of trust that is established between the Intelligence Community, the entire cybersecurity
community, in working with Congress and working with the Senate, that is the key linkage because
we are sharing with them and working with them on the details about what we need to do to secure
the nation’s infrastructure.

They’re laser-focused on securing this nation. And their partnership with us, and the trust that you place in them, is absolutely critical. So that when your elected representatives stand up and say, we have provided oversight, and we know that this is being done consistent with our laws and with our liberties, that’s what makes government work. So I cannot thank these men enough.