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This is a very chilling article. One element of the fallout of Snowden's escapade will be that private industry will be required to participate in and be a part

by olefoo 13y ago

This is a very chilling article. One element of the fallout of Snowden's escapade will be that private industry will be required to participate in and be a part of the same security policies; and this will be true of companies of all sizes and in all industries. Right now you think of responsible positions dealing directly with mission critical information as being those where a security clearance is required. But if this trend continues it will soon be hard to find ANY job that pays reasonable wages and does not require a security clearance. Hotel maids, busboys, janitors on up the scale. And let's be clear; this would be welcomed by many employers because it provides legitimacy to a whole panoply of abusive practices. It will also have other subtle chilling effects on our ability to innovate as a country. Does your startup make technology with security implications or applications? Are you going to turn down a meeting from In-Q-Tel? If you take a contract to supply data management tools to the DOE, and one of the conditions is that people on the project must have some specific level of background check? You can pass a background check now; but what if they interview someone who hates you? Or worse, if the person who is conducting and grading the background check wants to fail you; with career ending consequences if they succeed... This is a very ugly thing that is loose and growing now; it will touch each and every one of us who is actively involved in the economic life of America.

pekk 13y ago
You have missed it, but private industry was already required to participate in governmental security policies long ago, when we began to privatize intelligence work to companies like Booz Allen. It shouldn't be surprising that the government will make compliance to its security policies a condition of this kind of contracting. I don't see any reason to think that random maids at La Quinta in Little Rock, AR are going to need security clearances.
- olefoo 13y ago
  The point I was trying to make is that there are some powerful forces that will drive the expansion of "security culture" far beyond what seems reasonable to us now. The .gov has always required contractors working on sensitive matters to have clearances. But the point I'm focussing on is the broad expansion of what qualifies as "security sensitive information". And maids have physical access to rooms where people may be storing both personal, corporate and government information; it's easy to imagine someone making an argument that they should be subject to a criminal records check and possibly more stringent requirements for the luxury suites... Especially since the security process gives management extreme leverage in labor negotiations and ensures that there is an absolute power imbalance between employees and employers.

by olefoo 13y ago

pekk 13y ago

You have missed it, but private industry was already required to participate in governmental security policies long ago, when we began to privatize intelligence work to companies like Booz Allen. It shouldn't be surprising that the government will make compliance to its security policies a condition of this kind of contracting. I don't see any reason to think that random maids at La Quinta in Little Rock, AR are going to need security clearances.

olefoo 13y ago
The point I was trying to make is that there are some powerful forces that will drive the expansion of "security culture" far beyond what seems reasonable to us now. The .gov has always required contractors working on sensitive matters to have clearances. But the point I'm focussing on is the broad expansion of what qualifies as "security sensitive information". And maids have physical access to rooms where people may be storing both personal, corporate and government information; it's easy to imagine someone making an argument that they should be subject to a criminal records check and possibly more stringent requirements for the luxury suites... Especially since the security process gives management extreme leverage in labor negotiations and ensures that there is an absolute power imbalance between employees and employers.