Former NSA Director Keith Alexander Joins Amazon’s Board of Directors
This sounds like a bad idea.
Comments
Winter • September 21, 2020 6:42 AM
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.
Fazal Majid • September 21, 2020 7:37 AM
They must think they lost the DoD JEDI mega deal to Microsoft because they did not offer decision-makers enough perspectives of enrichment post-revolving-door.
Sam • September 21, 2020 10:58 AM
They lost JEDI because Trump hates the Washington Post.
AWS still does tons of cleared government business where it makes sense to get Alexander’s perspective on their board.
Clive Robinson • September 21, 2020 12:06 PM
@ Winter,
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.
Unless it’s a goose…
That is why people talk of a “Wolf in sheep’s clothes”.
@ Bruce Schneier, and the usual suspects,
This sounds like a bad idea.
It’s not clear if you mean one or all of the following are bad, and if all which is worst,
1, The US President interferes with a biding process, which may cause an undesirable outcome.
2, Amazon appoint a known war hawk who had whilst in office tore up the rull book there to protect US Citizens.
3, Microsoft gets awarded a $10 billion ten year DoD Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) secure cloud computing contract, when they were not the prefered bidder fo some as yet to be anounced reason.
Which ever way I look at it the US citizen is going to be worse off. Also based on recent comments about Microsoft’s “arms length” or “black” projects with Law Enforcment I would think that many US citizens now find the many JEDI projects are not going to be in safe hands.
So over all whilst I can understand the petty politics and pi55ing contests that will cause some harm. I view Microsoft getting the JEDI Contract to be probably the worst outcome based on Security considerations, and they are not exactly the most well regarded of “cloud service providers at the best of times.
It also brings into question the US Tic Toc deal. Was Oracle given that as a consolation prize…
Thus I think there is a little more than meets the idea behind this whole sorry mess…
Anon E. Moose • September 21, 2020 1:09 PM
Two things I read once…
“It’s not my cow. It’s a sheep with a pitchfork. Unfortunately, it goes quack.”
― Terry Pratchett
“The only way to give a bad idea a real chance to publicly fail is to hear it and then use facts to eviscerate it.”
― C.A.A. Savastano
jcb • September 21, 2020 3:31 PM
@Winter
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.
Indeed. Former DIRNSA looking over our shoulders and breathing down our necks at the library and at the bookstore. (Were you caught on video even glancing at the Anarchist’s Cookbook on the shelf? Protocols of Zion? Mein Kampf, anyone?)
And don’t forget the sudden forced bankruptcy and fire-sale liquidation of the entire “Borders” bookstore chain, by angry bond investors, up until that moment seemingly a healthy competitor to “Barnes and Noble” in the brick-and-mortar bookseller sector.
andyf • September 21, 2020 4:03 PM
So the USA bans Huawei because the owner has Chinese military connections.
Now Amazon appoint the former NSA Director to their board. Does that mean that Amazon should now be banned in Europe and China because of military connections?
Or are these considerations only one-sided?
Hay nony mouse • September 21, 2020 4:59 PM
@ Anon E. Moose,
“It’s not my cow. It’s a sheep with a pitchfork. Unfortunately, it goes quack.”
Then it went “Thud”…
Which was better than the “quiet look” after the first time he tried his own verse with,
“It goes Buggerit, Millennium Hand and shrimp… Is that my cow? No, it’s Foul Old Ron”.
Aaron • September 21, 2020 10:55 PM
Well, he’ll probably have some great ideas about tracking those pesky agitators for a union at Amazon!
Petre Peter • September 22, 2020 6:47 AM
Software workers are not allowed to unionize. If they do we’ll probably have to bail them out just like the auto industry.
Erdem Memisyazici • September 23, 2020 11:37 AM
This guy thought it a great idea to get on BlackHat and get booed off stage by saying your rights are gone “because 9/11”.
I have not forgotten, how it felt that day, to see my rights under fire.
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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
Jose Sardinas • September 21, 2020 6:41 AM
This IS a bad idea. It’s the kind of “revolving door” that should be closely observed and thoroughly avoided by anyone looking for a transparent and free society.