Schneier on Security

In my Open Forum article, “Privacy and Social Media,” February 2015, I mentioned Bruce Schneier’s new book, Data and Goliath (W.W.Norton & Company). For those concerned with the arrival of the surveillance state, this is a must-read book, and one of the best assessments of our current state of affairs. Schneier delves into all of the areas that I find most disconcerting, including our general loss of privacy and anonymity and the omnipresence of corporate and government Big Brother in nearly all facets of our lives. Are we really surprised that most social media, online search engines, and other corporations are selling our data, while others are aggregating that data (think big data and analytics), disabling our ability to remain anonymous? As Schneier points out, there is a balance that must be struck between convenience and the benefits of data collection and analysis. But when that balance tips towards unnecessary and undesired intrusion into our private lives, it is time for a change…