Why is the EFF at the RSA Security Conference? (Video)

Video no longer available.

Timothy asked Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) International Outreach Coordinator Maira Sutton that very question. Watch the video for her answer. It turns out that the EFF has lots of friends among RSA ("the most comprehensive forum in information security") attendees, and has some very good reasons to be there, in the midst of companies and government agencies that Timothy thinks might not only violate your privacy once in a while, but (gasp!) might even enjoy it.

Transcripts?

[Defenestrar]

Transcripts would be nice. I come to Slashdot to read news which is a much faster form of direct information transfer than video. Now if there was other information which couldn't be conveyed well with words, then video is an appropriate format, but the relevent content here isn't about the coffee cup in the background or even what Ms. Sutton looks like. Even then, a quick sentence could describe the appearance of the interviewee and the t-shirt she sports if the modern school of journalism (draw in the reader with POV, socio-economic status, etc...) is to be followed.

We need well defined borders.

[jellomizer]

How dare we live in a world that allows for ambiguity, and complex relationships. We need to live in a world where there are well defined good guys and bad guys. Where the good guys are always good and the bad guys are always bad.

People don't wake up in the morning plotting on how to make the world a bad and miserable place to live. For the most part most people are thinking about themselves, how can I get more out of life, do I need more money how can I get more money, do I want to be better admired how can I do that. Not that they don't think of other people too but normally think of themselves, this is natural because we know ourselves the best.

Now people join groups of like minded individuals to help empower themselves by giving more numbers to their cause as well as a way to share resources.

Now here is where we get into problems. Groups tend to have different approaches and motivations for what they are doing, they have different points that they feel pain and points that give them pleasure. Sometimes these points are in conflict with each other. Eg. Group R wants less government control, as they feel pain from government regulations and pleasure from being able to work to move themselves across the social ladders. Not Group D wants more Government Control, as they feel pain from mistakes made outside of government scope, and pleasure from an orderly system.

Now neither approach is evil, however extremism on both sides can lead to more trouble then they worth. But the ideas are always in conflict with each other thus creating tension across the groups. But Group R and Group D do also have similarities that they can agree on as they both feel pain when a foreign power aggression effects their self interests, they both feel pleasure when the general population is working and employed.

Unless you have been brainwashed by a political party, most individual people have their own opinions which may differ from the groups ideals, but they may still belong to the group as it matches many or at least their highest rated ideals.

Re:Alas...

[DarkOx]

"who don't really distinguish between 'security' and 'surveillance'

Surveillance is a legitimate component of security. You will never be able to eliminate the capability of an opponent to defeat other security controls. Surveillance is a powerful deterrent and can mitigate losses by enhancing the potential for recovery.

Is surveillance an appropriate solution all the time, hell no. It certainly has a place in the security professional's tool box and there are plenty of perfectly ethical uses for it.