Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Security in a Post-PRISM World

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    September 19, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      NEW ORLEANS—Over the last few months, a whole lot of people have been very worried about the privacy of their information. The revelation that the National Security Agency can potentially decrypt traffic from the Web has made a lot of people question their online providers and what can be done to protect privacy.

      In a session at the LinuxCon conference here this week, I saw one really good answer proposed by Frank Karlitschek, in a session aptly titled, “Living in a Cloudy Post-PRISM World.”

      I’ve had the good fortune to meet with Karlitschek in the past, and I know him as the founder of the popular ownCloud project. The ownCloud project is somewhat analogous to what Dropbox does, except that it’s open source (and has more features).

      In his LinuxCon session, Karlitschek noted that some people might just shrug off the NSA risks, but he suggests that is not a good idea.

      “I’m from Germany, and we know that it’s not a good idea to have an omnipotent government that can spy on you,” Karlitschek said. “It’s just not a good idea in a free society, so people should care if someone is violating their privacy—it’s very important.”

      He added that developers built the Internet, and developers can fix it too.

      User Data Manifesto

      Going a step further, Karlitschek has proposed what he is calling the “User Data Manifesto,” which outlines the characteristics that should apply to user data.

      “If I take a photo, it should be my photo,” Karlitschek said.

      The full User Data Manifesto includes eight key points:

      1. Own the data

      The data that someone directly or indirectly creates belongs to the person who created it.

      2. Know where the data is stored

      Everybody should be able to know where their personal data is physically stored, for how long, on which server, in what country and what laws apply.

      3. Choose the storage location

      Everybody should always be able to migrate their personal data to a different provider, server or their own machine at any time without being locked in to a specific vendor.

      4. Control access

      Everybody should be able to know, choose and control who has access to their own data to see or modify it.

      5. Choose the conditions
      If someone chooses to share their own data, then the owner of the data selects the sharing license and conditions.

      6. Invulnerability of data
      Everybody should be able to protect their own data against surveillance and to federate their own data for backups to prevent data loss or for any other reason.

      7. Use it optimally
      Everybody should be able to access and use their own data at all times with any device they choose and in the most convenient and easiest way for them.

      8. Server software transparency

      Server software should be free and open-source software so that the source code of the software can be inspected to confirm that it works as specified.

      It’s a brilliant idea and one that I hope will gain traction in the months and years to come.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×