7 lessons from the 1950s: Moving beyond train-the-user and buy-this-tech

Prof Danny Dresner, Professor of Cyber Security, University of Manchester
Bring me the head - and the rest of the body - of Norbert Wiener! Amongst the barrage of cyber security threats, we are constantly attacked with guilt throws from IT people who talk about stupid users and defensive smiles from users who take pride in not understanding the equipment they use! Stereotypes are not helpful! Meanwhile, the pendulum of cliché swings from train-the-users to buy-this-tech. to save you. Silver bullets have included WYSIWYGs, antivirus, firewalls, Clippy (bless!), blockchains, Phishing, and now AI. Bruce Schneier famously said, ‘If you think technology can solve your security problems, then you don’t understand the problems and you don’t understand the technology.’.
In this piece, Danny Dresner goes back to the 1950s and 1960s and saves a few ideas from the carnage of AI, returning to the future to propose 7 principles for a digital olive branch for people to meet the machines and dance into the sunrise of better, safer times…