Gilmore on the "computer health certificate" plan [LWN.net]

Gilmore on the "computer health certificate" plan

Posted Oct 9, 2010 1:42 UTC (Sat) by jd (guest, #26381)
In reply to: Gilmore on the "computer health certificate" plan by rfunk
Parent article: Gilmore on the "computer health certificate" plan

Agreed, but I'd extend it to any political view, though I have to admit the Libertarians have been... louder than some. In cases where the issue is restated using some hot-button issue of the day, how is it any different from any other flamebait? It actually detracts from the issue, diverting attention away from the real problem at hand to one that is only a problem for those of a different political persuasion.

In other cases, the problem at hand is only a problem because of the political persuasion of the poster.

Aside from the fact that such comments are neither polite nor respectful (and usually not terribly informative either), they're not constructive or informative.

Now, I have to admit that this idea that Microsoft wants to have computers pass a health-check something of a joke, if not a positive insult to the intelligence of non-Microsoft users, but snide comments about the US health care debate won't help.

There are a few things that might help. The Government has an Internet Czar post that has been vacant for a number of years. Having someone credible in that position to actually use it to educate people on why such a scheme might be a bad idea, or to even offer a compromise (NIST is certifying for CC anyway, it might as well certify for Internet Health as well) that Microsoft and Intel are guaranteed to reject.

(Compromises as a means of killing a bad idea are not a new idea.)

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Gilmore on the "computer health certificate" plan

Posted Oct 9, 2010 16:14 UTC (Sat) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]

I expect that a 'internet czar' would be spending much more time trying to figure out how to implement the massive increase in size and scope of the three letter government agencies' ability to 'wiretap' internet activity without warrants.

Which is something that the Obama administration has been pushing very hard for in the past few months. Generally speaking 'Czars' are there to carry out the policy of the administration, of which, reducing the security of our communications is a high priority.

Worrying about discrediting some notion of some private sector security researcher is probably not going to be a high on the list of things they are going to care about.