Protecting Data – How Cultural-Political Heritage Shapes Security Approaches

In Europe, security systems are built with the end goal to safe-keep the privacy of sensitive data. In the U.S, security systems are architected with the goal of securing sensitive infrastructures. Recent revelations about the NSA snooping and international backlash demonstrate the dramatic international differences in privacy vs. security values. Those differences also play out in how security systems are architected. Beginning with “what is the data being protected?” vs. “how do we keep the bad guys out?” will lead to two very different security solutions.