Political Insecurity

Australia will be going to a national election in early September, and the only security that appears on the platform of any of the major parties is the political security that comes through a populist agenda, rather than a strong stand on securing the intellectual capital of the nation.

The Government’s job should be to set high level policy, and help us help ourselves, rather than try to protect us from every movie plot threat.  This is what I'd like to see on the next government's agenda.

#1.  Include cyber security in the education curriculum.  At the moment the only area of interest is cyber-bullying (“Won’t someone think of the children!”) but this isn’t enough, and is a misdirection of resources.  The problem is much bigger than that.

#2.  Make software vendors liable for the faults in their products.  If a car crashes because it wasn’t designed properly, the manufacturer gets sued.  If you lose your bank account because the software you use wasn’t designed properly, you lose and the manufacturer points to an EULA that says they aren’t liable.

#3.  Engage with the private sector.  We are better at practical and pragmatic security than they are.  So work with us instead of the military industrial complex, who only want to ramp up the cyberwar rhetoric to get even more money from the public purse.

Make your vote count.

Phil Kernick Chief Technology Officer
@philkernick www.cqr.com