Reading the comments below Schneier's post, I was reminded again just how much the Internet has changed how we interact. Here is an expert creating a space and inviting anyone with an opinion to gather and discuss whether he can be trusted, while he quietly (and amusedly?) observes. I can't imagine anything analogous to this IRL.
Can I Be Trusted?
51–60 of 62 posts
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#52Guys nevermind this article. The author is not to be trusted.
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#53You'd have to define trust to understand and then answer the question. Trust is the inverse of what most people think it is. Trust isn't about what someone will do, it's about what they won't do. You might trust a guy with your life by asking him to hold a ladder whilst you climb up it, but you probably wouldn't trust the same guy with your medical history and insights into your state of mind and personal relationshi…
This is a silly bunch of pedantic twaddle along the lines of "never assume, when you assume you make an ass out of u and me". The tacit assumption is that we're trusting (or not) Bruce Schneier as a source of information in his subject domain, and not as a mental health professional or holder of ladders.
Do you breathe? Wait -- breathe what? Is the sky blue? Which sky? Where? Let's define our terms! Was this message written in English or are you misreading fluent Alienese?
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#54After the wall came down, the stasi shredded a lot of their files. But they were reassembled a few years ago and they revealed that some of the dissidents at the time were snitching on their fellows in return for less harsh treatment.[1] I don't think Schneier is similarly compromised - to give out misleading interpretations of the NSA leaks - but we can't know that with 100% certainty as long as the documents he's c…
It's a little offtopic, but those shredded files were put together with software (they scanned all the scraps and put them back together with algorithms). Here is a link to the research article (couldn't find a free source, sorry): http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00287-004-0395-8
Wow. anyone got an English free link describing this work?
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#55It depends on what's at risk. So far he hasn't asked me to meet him in a cornfield or other out-of-the-way location.
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#56No, I do not. I have no reason to distrust him but equally no reason to unthinkingly trust. I listen to his opinions and take them into account.
Seriously, this is the only rational response. This is what rational people do: weigh opinions and make their own decision. It's as if we're trusting this guy with our bank account information or something.
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a little offtopic, but those shredded files were put together with software (they scanned all the scraps and put them back together with algorithms). Here is a link to the research article (couldn't find a free source, sorry): http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00287-004-0395-8
Wow. anyone got an English free link describing this work?
Sure, see http://www.npr.org/2012/10/08/162369606/piecing-together-the...
You don't even need computers to piece together shredded work. Iran pieced together the shredded US Embassy documents by hand, and China pieced together shredded Soviet atomic bomb documents. You just need time and lots of people. Shredded material is often not well-mixed, so there is a great deal of spatial locality.
The thing that distinguishes the Stasi case is that they produced a lot more records, and German workers cost more than Iranian or Chinese workers. That's where the computers came in.
These days, with cross-cut and confetti shredders, the computers would become even more important.
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#58You'd have to define trust to understand and then answer the question. Trust is the inverse of what most people think it is. Trust isn't about what someone will do, it's about what they won't do. You might trust a guy with your life by asking him to hold a ladder whilst you climb up it, but you probably wouldn't trust the same guy with your medical history and insights into your state of mind and personal relationshi…
That's an interesting way to look at trust but it's highly dependent on your own internal thought process and phrasing.
"I trust he WON'T let go of the ladder."
That's the same as
"I trust he WILL keep the ladder secured."
I'd say trust isn't about what you think the person won't do. It's about the person living up to their word or implied contract. It can be phrased either as a will do or a won't do.
Ladder guy holding it implies he will hold it securely. Doctor with private info implies he WON'T share it irresponsibly. That could also be worded as an expectation that he WILL keep it private.
"I trust Bruce Schneier to not sacrifice his own principles and belief system in backdooring some code or otherwise compromising his work."
OR
"I trust Bruce Schneier to be true to his principles and belief systems and maintain the integrity of his work."
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#59You'd have to define trust to understand and then answer the question. Trust is the inverse of what most people think it is. Trust isn't about what someone will do, it's about what they won't do. You might trust a guy with your life by asking him to hold a ladder whilst you climb up it, but you probably wouldn't trust the same guy with your medical history and insights into your state of mind and personal relationshi…
Based on your definition of trust (which I tend to agree with) you have to know the other party pretty intimately to know whether you can trust them.
The Bruce Schneier you know wouldn't compromise his own principles and beliefs but what if the Bruce Schneier you know isn't real? What if those principles and beliefs never existed?
Now we see why faith is requisite for living.
Re: Can I Be Trusted?
#60You'd have to define trust to understand and then answer the question. Trust is the inverse of what most people think it is. Trust isn't about what someone will do, it's about what they won't do. You might trust a guy with your life by asking him to hold a ladder whilst you climb up it, but you probably wouldn't trust the same guy with your medical history and insights into your state of mind and personal relationshi…
> You'd have to define trust to understand and then answer the question.
Luckily there's a book that does that. Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive
http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Outliers-Enabling-Society-ebook/...