Thermal Imaging as Security Theater

Seems like thermal imaging is the security theater technology of today. These features are so tempting that thermal cameras are being installed at an increasing pace. They’re used in airports and other public transportation centers to screen travelers, increasingly used by companies to screen employees and by businesses to screen customers, and even used in health care facilities to screen… Continue reading Thermal Imaging as Security Theater

Me on COVAD-19 Contact Tracing Apps

I was quoted in BuzzFeed: "My problem with contact tracing apps is that they have absolutely no value," Bruce Schneier, a privacy expert and fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, told BuzzFeed News… Continue reading Me on COVAD-19 Contact Tracing Apps

Me on COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps

I was quoted in BuzzFeed: "My problem with contact tracing apps is that they have absolutely no value," Bruce Schneier, a privacy expert and fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, told BuzzFeed News. "I’m not even talking about the privacy concerns, I mean the efficacy. Does anybody think this will do something useful?… Continue reading Me on COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps

Cardiac Biometric

MIT Technology Review is reporting about an infrared laser device that can identify people by their unique cardiac signature at a distance: A new device, developed for the Pentagon after US Special Forces requested it, can identify people without seein… Continue reading Cardiac Biometric

Cardiac Biometric

MIT Technology Review is reporting about an infrared laser device that can identify people by their unique cardiac signature at a distance: A new device, developed for the Pentagon after US Special Forces requested it, can identify people without seeing their face: instead it detects their unique cardiac signature with an infrared laser. While it works at 200 meters (219… Continue reading Cardiac Biometric

"Insider Threat" Detection Software

Notice this bit from an article on the arrest of Christopher Hasson: It was only after Hasson’s arrest last Friday at his workplace that the chilling plans prosecutors assert he was crafting became apparent, detected by an internal Coast Guard program that watches for any "insider threat." The program identified suspicious computer activity tied to Hasson, prompting the agency’s investigative… Continue reading "Insider Threat" Detection Software

The Fallibility of DNA Evidence

This is a good summary article on the fallibility of DNA evidence. Most interesting to me are the parts on the proprietary algorithms used in DNA matching: William Thompson points out that Perlin has declined to make public the algorithm that drives the program. "You do have a black-box situation happening here," Thompson told me. "The data go in, and… Continue reading The Fallibility of DNA Evidence