Technical author leading resistance to background checks

["F. Marc de Piolenc" <piolenc -at- archivale -dot- com>]

"One of the primary concerns in the shootings that I read and can't find,
included the requirement that people working at NASA wear a security badge,
but security wasn't properly implemented.  Employees are given security
clearance.  Employers of contractors are required to implement the same
security measures with their employees.  NASA discovered that contractors
were not given the appropriate security checks and stated that it will step
up security.  Now we are here and JPL contractors are complaining about the
requirements of security badges, when the hostage stand-off and killing was
undertaken by a long-time contractor."

The question that we should be asking is: would the proposed security 
measures have prevented the incident to which you attribute them? Answer: NO.

A background check checks...background. The past. Not the future - 
not even current intentions or character. I'm willing to bet that 
none of the people involved in the incident that you describe had any 
prior record of violent behavior. All that the proposed measures will 
do is justify the salaries of a legion of "security" drones, none of 
whom will have any concept of what improving security actually entails.

A security badge says, at best, "this guy has permission to be here." 
In fact, it doesn't even say that, because study after study has 
shown that nobody ever checks badges to see if the person wearing the 
badge is the person to whom it was assigned. (I particularly remember 
a civilian employee of the Army, working at its Intelligence 
headquarters at Fort Meade, who regularly came in with a photograph 
of his dog pasted over his own on his badge, and was never caught.) 
Access-control codes, too, are rarely checked, even in very sensitive 
places. Thirty years in the business have convinced me that most 
"security" procedures provide the illusion of security without, and 
sometimes even to the detriment of, the substance.

The US government is repeating an obvious error: by trying to 
"securitize" everybody, it is ensuring that nobody in a truly 
sensitive position will receive sufficient scrutiny to actually catch 
a terrorist, spy or saboteur. Even the US government, which steals 
freely from each of us to maintain itself in the style to which it 
has become accustomed, has only finite resources available. The more 
that is dissipated in harrassment of tech geeks, the less is 
available to do what actually needs doing.

Best,
Marc de Piolenc


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.485 / Virus Database: 269.13.8/993 - Release Date: 9/6/2007 3:18 PM


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.