The Big Brother: privacy in the Internet Age

Privacy: the Art of Trade-Offs

Privacy is the aspect of security which involves finding the dedicate balance between absolute control and absolute freedom in a society. E.g. one's financial standing is the kind of information which must be known to some people (tax officials), yet should be private enough not to provoke kidnappers or extortionists. Or a person's health record should be available for doctors, yet its getting into the hands of prospective employers or a bank is generally considered foul play.

real security vs security theatre

There are well-designed security measures which can considerable improve the security situation. And there is the security theatre - loudly touted, flashy measures which look respectable but in fact have little to no influence on the situation. A large share of the post-9/11 security measures in the US fall into this category - a good illustration is a story from October 2006 when the Newark International Airport security failed to detect 20 out of 22 "bad items" from guns to simulated explosives.