I spent the morning in San Jose at the Silicon Valley Technology and Homeland Security Summit & Expo (the Mercury News is one of the sponsors), where I moderated a panel on corporate network security. Good speakers, fine material for future columns…
I keep hoping that the valley won’t turn itself into a happy arm of the surveillance state we’re creating. But money is money, and that’s probably what will happen.
There was an interesting item during a report on the Afghanistan fighting on NPR’s Morning Edition today. A U.S. military official said something to the effect that “We can’t teach the Afghans much about fighting in caves, but we can learn a lot.”
That comment was excellent. The military, which has done a superb job in this conflict, is listening and learning.
Silicon Valley and the technology industry’s way of doing things has a lot to offer national security, not just in helping spy on people. The culture of risk and willingness to change is one of the valley’s most valuable assets. Everyone can learn from everyone else in a networked world. Let’s do that.