It's time for a public conversation about the uses and limits of
translucency. Is it really necessary to retain my social security number, or
my search history, in order to provide a service? If not, what does it
cost the provider of a service -- and cost the user, for that matter -- to
achieve the benefit of translucency? Is this kind of opt-out a right
that users of services should expect to enjoy for free, or is it a new
kind of value-added service that provider can sell? [Full story at InfoWorld.com]
Several thoughtful emails in response to this column deserve
mention. One veteran technologist told me that, five years ago, he was
working on a translucent technology for which the tag line was "host-proof
hosting." The pitch was: "There's going to be a breach at an ASP, and
when that happens everyone will suddenly know that they need this."
But that's a tough sale to make, especially when crytographic
techniques are required.
... |
