6 ms·

Napolitano: I don't use email at all

40 points by ra5cal 14y ago

jaryd 14y ago
This reminds me of the SOPA discussions when some of the panel members openly stated (I think with a chuckle) that they weren't sure how this whole "Internet" thing worked... I don't know much about Napolitano's abilities in this arena, but it seems to me that an important part of being an influencer and a decision maker is knowledge not entirely gleaned from research, briefings, and PSAs.
zdw 14y ago
The DHS should be broken back up and most of the sub-agencies should be done away with (I'm looking at you TSA). Much like the military, it's a solution in search of a problem, and it'll manage to find problems in places where none exist, or where it's presence is inappropriate and unjustified.
- dfc 14y ago
  The military is a solution in search of problem? Seriously? I am assuming that getting rid of most of the DHS sub-agencies was an exaggeration. But I can not understand why you would say the military is a solution in search of a problem.
  - 4ad 14y ago
    And I can not understand how can you not say the military is a solution in search of a problem.
    - dreamdu5t 14y ago
      Because self-defense of active threats is not the only purpose of the military. The military does not need to involved in combat to be part of an active geopolitical strategy. It's mere existence and size are themselves an extremely effective tool for peaceful foreign policy.
  - ta12121 14y ago
    The military is a solution in search of problem? Seriously? Not 100%, but to an extent it is. The US has this giant military that's way bigger than needed just for self-defense. It's going to want to do things, whether those things need doing or not, to justify its existence.
jandrewrogers 14y ago
For those that do not understand the subtext, the reason Napolitano does not use email is that there is no persistent, written record with her name on it that can be used as evidence against her. This is a common strategy/policy used by many people, particularly among the political class. It is an excellent way to inject ambiguity into any potential culpability. It is a common practice for people that wish to minimize evidence trails should things come to that. Don't conflate "don't use" with "ignorant of". It is a voluntary choice.
- BklynJay 14y ago
  Why does she go on to say that some might call her a "Luddite"? This would imply that she doesn't believe in technology, which could logically be extended to perhaps include "understand" technology.
  - reitzensteinm 14y ago
    The implication in that sentence is that people may assume she is a luddite, but they would be wrong in doing so.
    - ryan_s 14y ago
      Would they be wrong? I'm not certain about that. From the single clip I would believe that maybe she is.
    - BklynJay 14y ago
      I don't know if we can necessarily draw that conclusion from the limited information in that statement. It would seem almost as if she shuns technology deliberately.
  - starpilot 14y ago
    Because she's throwing around the term casually, like people do? "I'm really OCD about this" ≠ actual self-diagnosis of OCD
  - ams6110 14y ago
skym 14y ago
My first reaction wasn't anger, it was jealousy.
freditup 14y ago
I don't see any problem with any elected official not using email. I don't care if they avoid technology for the most part. (I know this may lead to them not being informed about technological issues, and this is a negative, but I'd rather have them be knowledgeable in other areas.) What is a problem is that the DHS secretary would be so disconnected from technology. I personally think that the US is still quite vulnerable to cyberattacks, and that this should be a major national security priority. (It's possible cyberdefense is kept under tight secrecy and there's a whole lot more of it than I'm aware of.)
- riffic 14y ago
  >elected official who voted for her?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
alid 14y ago
Intriguing! It makes perfect sense given the nature of her role and position, but I'm curious how she operates at such a strategic level without it - if not to send messages, to receive them? I thought mobile networks would be just as liable to be tapped? What tools would they use to communicate?
- brown9-2 14y ago
  I'm curious how this affects the people beneath her as well - if their communication patterns have to be altered to fit in with the boss.
chmars 14y ago
Many other officials don't use mail either – they've staff doing their communication for them … and for the remaining very private communication, they often use personal telephone calls, SMS and so on. That's simply how (at least older or less tech-savvy) officials work.
willholloway 14y ago
George Bush didn't email either, he didn't want anyone reading 'his personal stuff'. I always suspected he was trying to avoid Nixon's mistake of leaving the tape recording machine running that LBJ installed in the Oval office. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. Americans deserve full transparency from their government. That said, with the adversarial nature of party politics and the limited sophistication of the public's political consciousness, not creating a persistent record may be a rational and understandable choice, even for a public servant with nothing to hide and every reason to feel proud of the work that they do.
- brown9-2 14y ago
  Interestingly, George W Bush used to be big on personal email but decided to put a stop to it before he was inaugerated: http://gawker.com/5089305/presidents-gotta-give-up-the-e+mail-ghost http://gawker.com/5089305/presidents-gotta-give-up-the-e+mai... I think though that his reasoning is not as cynical as you make it out - there would be some concern that personal email sent to the President from friends, family etc would fall under the official records act.
netdog 14y ago
email is a useful messaging system. However, email is not: 1) a reliable messaging system, 2) a secure messaging system, 3) a private communication conduit.

40 points by ra5cal 14y ago

jaryd 14y ago

This reminds me of the SOPA discussions when some of the panel members openly stated (I think with a chuckle) that they weren't sure how this whole "Internet" thing worked... I don't know much about Napolitano's abilities in this arena, but it seems to me that an important part of being an influencer and a decision maker is knowledge not entirely gleaned from research, briefings, and PSAs.

zdw 14y ago

The DHS should be broken back up and most of the sub-agencies should be done away with (I'm looking at you TSA). Much like the military, it's a solution in search of a problem, and it'll manage to find problems in places where none exist, or where it's presence is inappropriate and unjustified.

dfc 14y ago
The military is a solution in search of problem? Seriously? I am assuming that getting rid of most of the DHS sub-agencies was an exaggeration. But I can not understand why you would say the military is a solution in search of a problem.
- 4ad 14y ago
  And I can not understand how can you not say the military is a solution in search of a problem.
  - dreamdu5t 14y ago
    Because self-defense of active threats is not the only purpose of the military. The military does not need to involved in combat to be part of an active geopolitical strategy. It's mere existence and size are themselves an extremely effective tool for peaceful foreign policy.
- ta12121 14y ago
  The military is a solution in search of problem? Seriously? Not 100%, but to an extent it is. The US has this giant military that's way bigger than needed just for self-defense. It's going to want to do things, whether those things need doing or not, to justify its existence.

jandrewrogers 14y ago

For those that do not understand the subtext, the reason Napolitano does not use email is that there is no persistent, written record with her name on it that can be used as evidence against her. This is a common strategy/policy used by many people, particularly among the political class. It is an excellent way to inject ambiguity into any potential culpability. It is a common practice for people that wish to minimize evidence trails should things come to that. Don't conflate "don't use" with "ignorant of". It is a voluntary choice.

BklynJay 14y ago
Why does she go on to say that some might call her a "Luddite"? This would imply that she doesn't believe in technology, which could logically be extended to perhaps include "understand" technology.
- reitzensteinm 14y ago
  The implication in that sentence is that people may assume she is a luddite, but they would be wrong in doing so.
  - ryan_s 14y ago
    Would they be wrong? I'm not certain about that. From the single clip I would believe that maybe she is.
  - BklynJay 14y ago
    I don't know if we can necessarily draw that conclusion from the limited information in that statement. It would seem almost as if she shuns technology deliberately.
- starpilot 14y ago
  Because she's throwing around the term casually, like people do? "I'm really OCD about this" ≠ actual self-diagnosis of OCD
- ams6110 14y ago

skym 14y ago

My first reaction wasn't anger, it was jealousy.

freditup 14y ago

I don't see any problem with any elected official not using email. I don't care if they avoid technology for the most part. (I know this may lead to them not being informed about technological issues, and this is a negative, but I'd rather have them be knowledgeable in other areas.) What is a problem is that the DHS secretary would be so disconnected from technology. I personally think that the US is still quite vulnerable to cyberattacks, and that this should be a major national security priority. (It's possible cyberdefense is kept under tight secrecy and there's a whole lot more of it than I'm aware of.)

riffic 14y ago
>elected official who voted for her?
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

alid 14y ago

Intriguing! It makes perfect sense given the nature of her role and position, but I'm curious how she operates at such a strategic level without it - if not to send messages, to receive them? I thought mobile networks would be just as liable to be tapped? What tools would they use to communicate?

brown9-2 14y ago
I'm curious how this affects the people beneath her as well - if their communication patterns have to be altered to fit in with the boss.

chmars 14y ago

Many other officials don't use mail either – they've staff doing their communication for them … and for the remaining very private communication, they often use personal telephone calls, SMS and so on. That's simply how (at least older or less tech-savvy) officials work.

willholloway 14y ago

George Bush didn't email either, he didn't want anyone reading 'his personal stuff'. I always suspected he was trying to avoid Nixon's mistake of leaving the tape recording machine running that LBJ installed in the Oval office. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. Americans deserve full transparency from their government. That said, with the adversarial nature of party politics and the limited sophistication of the public's political consciousness, not creating a persistent record may be a rational and understandable choice, even for a public servant with nothing to hide and every reason to feel proud of the work that they do.

brown9-2 14y ago
Interestingly, George W Bush used to be big on personal email but decided to put a stop to it before he was inaugerated: http://gawker.com/5089305/presidents-gotta-give-up-the-e+mail-ghost http://gawker.com/5089305/presidents-gotta-give-up-the-e+mai... I think though that his reasoning is not as cynical as you make it out - there would be some concern that personal email sent to the President from friends, family etc would fall under the official records act.

netdog 14y ago

email is a useful messaging system. However, email is not: 1) a reliable messaging system, 2) a secure messaging system, 3) a private communication conduit.