NSA can't trust 'brilliant' people, will automate sysadmins
privacysos.org
privacysos.org
The more secretive or unjust an organization is, the
more leaks induce fear and paranoia in its leadership
and planning coterie. This must result in minimization
of efficient internal communications mechanisms (an
increase in cognitive "secrecy tax") and consequent
system-wide cognitive decline resulting in decreased
ability to hold onto power as the environment demands
adaption.
Quite true.
He was considered quite bold and respectable for all his work until the cables happened. As long as his leaks did not have anything to do with back home you know. At least that's how it all seems to me.
Proving once again that the NSA has absolutely no fucking idea what it's doing at the absolute highest levels.
Unfortunately for them, as society becomes a bit more self-aware every decade, it's harder to find such people and they also throw away their best talent when questioning orders is unacceptable.
This is why I find it horribly ironic that there are military people now who are anonymously posting that they "didn't sign up to bomb syria" (and punish the chemical murder of 1000s of civilians). What exactly did they think they were signing up for? To pick and choose what orders they would follow? Does the person who sits at a desk in the military think they have better morals for not actually pushing the button that literally fires the missiles?
Imagine how moral the US would be if every government agency like the military, the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, the TSA had a draft instead of volunteers. They would actually have a consciousness instead of scandal after scandal because people would not just accept the system blindly.
Well let's not get too high on the general populations' ability for independent moral authority. We know the results of the Milgram experiments. And we also know about the massacres of Vietnam, caused by units of mostly drafted soldiers. The ability to break from authority is not as strong as we like to think. And I include myself in that group as well, I know my primate psychology.
Obviously it's very hard to have the moral courage to accept being bradley manninged (because some orders come all the way from the top), but the obligation to question orders has definitely been established.
Basically every single person in the military who serves at Guantanamo in any capacity is disobeying a direct, signed order by the commander-in-chief.
That's not what they are posting. They're posting that they didn't sign up to help al-Qaida achieve one of its military objectives.
The kind of people that need to automate these sort of systems need to be even stronger systems programmers and administrators than the incumbent batch. Automation can be backdoored as well.
IT'S TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN
Aaaaand that wouldn't happen ever, unless that "company" is funded by your tax dollars. Enjoy.
All productivity and excellence is used now to fuel an organization which punishes those who are productive and excellent.
Who will administer these 'computer automated sysadmins'? The entire matter reeks of nothing but bluster by a control freak overseeing a witch hunt. Further evidence that we should not assume the competence of intelligence agencies.
If he could create any profile and impersonate say Gen. Alexander...then it is easily conceivable that he could access anyone's records.
Not that we didn't know this already...
Or it is a bad thing, that incompetent people will still be doing these activities - thereby making it more likely that their systems will be more easily compromised and the data end up in the wrong hands easier.
The ridiculousness of this proves that no matter how many billions of dollars and expensive infrastructure you have at your fingertips, the people in charge aren't very smart. Automate a system administrator? Good luck replicating a bearded Unix loving man with a penchant for energy drinks who gets angry every time something breaks. As someone who works alongside sys admins, I feel as though I am allowed to say that.
Amaze us, NSA.
However, this is neither here nor there, since automation is hard, and Alexander the Geek can't make it happen simply by giving an order, despite his four stars. But promising it is a way for him to explain himself after getting caught with his pants down. See, Congress! We recognize we have a problem. But trust us, we have a plan! We have a solution! Not.
Sure, certain aspects can definitely be automated. But it's kind of the equivalent of using robots in your factor that run on batteries. If the battery goes dead in a robot, how does the robot replace its own battery if it's not even on? Presumably another robot, but it proves automation is very hard,
There will always be human error though. Humans will be programming whatever automation Alexander has planned and that automation will take years to refine and perfect before it's close to flawless.
Also, today I saw a bunch of guys in suits next to a burning building spraying it with water. Idiots! They wouldn't have to spray it with water if they hadn't set it on fire! We should automate fire protection and get rid of all the firefighters, as you only ever see fires when they're about, so they must be the cause.
Imagine they double their headcount - just to get more leaks, because they have more people looking at the data.
Of course, all these things also make it hard to convince them that they're the good guys.
Instead of investigating process and even validity of hammer use, promptly removing all toes.
Reality: The most loyal are the least productive resulting in widespread dissatisfaction and even more leaks.
The Computer serves as the game's principal antagonist, and fears a number of threats to its 'perfect' society, such as The Outdoors, mutants, and secret societies (especially Communists). To deal with these threats, The Computer employs Troubleshooters, whose job is to go out, find trouble, and shoot it.
This is why the government is now entirely run by unquestioning idiots.
First they came for the computer janitors, and I did not speak for I was not a computer janitor.