Schneier on Security

During a panel discussion at the recent Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit in Dallas that otherwise was as dry as a highway in the Sahara, security guru Bruce Schneier made a provocative argument.

He contended that just as pollution was the unfortunate byproduct of the Industrial Revolution, data is the waste product of the digital revolution.

And just like pollution, all the data we generate during our lives never degrades.

He noted that almost every transaction and interaction now generates data.

Whether it’s buying a product with a debit card when we used to pay with cash, or communicating via text message or e-mail when we used to just make a phone call, activities that previously left no trace now generate a significant digital trail…