Crypto-Gram goodness
Bruce Schneier's Crypto-Gram is one of those little Internet gems that has become obligatory reading for me. This month's piece "What the Terrorists Want" illustrates why. It is perhaps the most lucid reflection I've read concerning the recent "liquid bombs on a plane!" paranoia.
Hi Dario,
Sure people are afraid and they should be! I recently travelled to the US (immediately after the news about the "liquid bombing" campaign) and to be honest with you, the level of ease of mind I had wasn't that high...
If you question people about the hightened security level (call it "paranoia") I am sure that the majority of them will tell you: "better safe than sorry..."
Are civil liberties being hurt? Are world-wide secret services and security forces "violating" a few well-established personal boundaries? If with that they can control terrorist threats, they should proceed. The real brain-teaser is that no one knows if terrorism can be controled or eliminated at all...
You know me for years and for sure you know that, to board a plane, I prefer to take off my shoes, go through 10 security checks and wait 2 hours (or more...) rather than pay an unscheduled visit to a forest in Pennsylvania...
Bye,
Luis
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Hey Luís,
Well, forests in Pennsylvania are lovely at this time of the year; the colours are breathtaking!
Now seriously, the point of Schneier's article is that the "liquid bomb" paranoia a) did little to improve actual security — it only improved perceived security, which is a different beast altogether (and the one politicians are more likely to pursue); b) plays into the terrorists game; c) actually encourages further terrorism (these guys are begging for attention!).
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