dgmdoug

They also don't do a comparison with Pied Piper.

I think the title here is overly inflammatory.

To suggest there is a 'fair right' to data behind encryption for goverment use, to my mind, somewhat misses the point of encryption and privacy in general. This is the point I believe we should be arguing.

Your representaiton of the article as a 'declaration against encryption' somewhat undermines this argument, and polarises it into an 'us vs them' debate.

For accuracy, this document is titled:

"Draft Council Declaration on Encryption - Security through encryption and security despite encryption"

Its pretty handwavy, overly general, and seems to call for some sort of 'back door' from the tech companies. Missing the point really, anybody wishing to use strong encryption for criminal purpoes can do so so with very few resources, and quite independently.

If 14 year olds know more about the security vulnerabilities of our most highly adopted computer systems than the professionals which use and safeguard/build them, then it would say more about those professionals than the teens (a fact that I am highly sceptical of).

Or could it be a self reported survey says more about the perception of 'cool' subversive behaviours amongst that group than it's prevalence? I'd buy the latter over the former. You only have to wander around a university campus nowadays to understand the the days of overindulgence in drink/drugs are over -- and that being a self-identified entrepreneur or hacker is de rigeur.

"...and an agreement with everybody in the house to check before picking up the telephone handset."

This! If anything I think the challenge provided us with a reason to explore. Things weren't always easy and that made it fun.

What, 2? ;-)

I missed a trick it seems. Should have posted a link where I could track conversions. :-/

It really worries me that the leader of our nation does not appear to have all the information required in order to make a decision on a topic as important as this. I would have thought that a domain expert within government would have be consulted before Cameron goes off half cocked in debates and discussions.

With technology a key and growing industry within the UK, shouldn't we expect our leaders to at least attempt to understand the issues around governance?

I concur -- travelling in Boston can be frustrating for those who are inexperienced. They use 'inbound' and 'outbound', but without knowledge of the centre point for that line this information is useless!

It was written in 2012 and is a fairly well known and accessible text! Pedro is an excellent speaker, if you ever get chance to hear him I highly recommend it.

Isn't part of the problem that we place this artificial wall between academia and industry? I often found myself confused in this respect. I attained my PhD a number of years ago, and found this an invaluable experience, which has no doubt helped me to excel in industry, however I still meet people (developers and senior level executives especially) who think academia is about locking yourself in a room and writing stuff without building anything useful. Ironically, these are the same people who build products and code without surveying the field, understanding what is already out there and building on top of existing solutions. Their naivity and ignorance is such that they believe they are building something truly unique, and will get it right first time, every time.

It seems to me that we should stop standing on each side of the fence and looking down on each other, and start working together. We might actually achieve something great it if we do that.

Regards the OP, if it was the right time for him/her to leave, that's great. Nobody should continue on a path that they do not find fulfilling. It says nothing about academia, or industry though. It only reveals the feelings of the author.

The true travesty here, is that he/she will find it extremely difficult to pick up that work again and find a place in a university if they change their mind in the future. Our system in the UK is broken, since you only get a single shot at academia -- unless of course you are independently wealthy.

Perhaps this is the cause of the divide. You are either in, or you are out -- and once you make your choice there is no going back.