[Cryptography] Boing Boing pushing an RSA Conference boycott

[Kent Borg]

On 01/13/2014 03:33 PM, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 13, 2014 at 3:26 PM, Kent Borg <kentborg at borg.org 
> <mailto:kentborg at borg.org>> wrote:
>
>     On 01/13/2014 02:35 PM, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
>
>         There should be a penalty, no question. But what should the
>         penalty be?
>
>
>     How important *is* this conference?  I admit I have never attended...
>
>
> It is the only international trade show for the IT security industry.
>
> Try 10,000 people coming to buy products to protect themselves from 
> the NSA etc.
>
>
> This is not acceptable collateral damage.

I'm not very impressed with the IP security industry ("Firewalls, 
anti-virus software, latest Service Packs--okay, we are set."--seems to 
be the dominant attitude I see...).  Leaving them navel gazing for a 
year wondering what they should do now...doesn't seem that bad to me.  
Forgive me for over generalizing here.

On the other side, will the alternative security conference I am imaging 
pop up anyway?  Can RSA be allowed to wither for a couple years in the 
meantime?

It seems it will go on--it hasn't been canceled and would be expensive 
to cancel so it won't.  There will be a lot of noise, the boycott folks 
will make a big point--but not manage to cancel it. There will be some 
empty sessions.  If Colbert cancels that will be big news and help make 
the point of what a damaged brand "RSA" is, if he doesn't cancel I 
predict Colbert will skewer RSA in his performance and make them wish he 
had canceled.  They get further burned either way.  Hmmm.


-kb

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.metzdowd.com/pipermail/cryptography/attachments/20140113/889f9a04/attachment.html>