Privacy and Security: Not Necessarily a Battle to the Death
Reporters at our conference this morning had an opportunity to hear from the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, about the relationship between privacy and security. His main conclusion seemed to be that the two seemingly contrary principles could build on each other.
“I actually believe that many of the measures we take serve to enhance security and serve to enhance privacy,” said Chertoff, the keynote speaker at a major conference of privacy commissioners and experts from around the world in Montreal. Canadian Press, September 26, 2007
Here’s how Mr. Chertoff thinks this could work:
By collecting little pieces of information from everyone that aren’t overly private or invasive to gather, security officials can quickly target potential threats and avoid subjecting all travellers to intensive scrutiny or searches. CanWest News Service, September 26, 2007
Update: there’s more discussion of his proposal on Michael Chertoff’s own blog.