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RE: Schneier slams US border biometrics

ccombs1 4th Nov 2008

It is extremely depressing- having worked with the
national security community in the past and having
been briefed on the border situation- to see how
incredibly illogical and misinformed the "grand
revelations" of self-proclaimed "experts" really are.
Schneier just doesn't have a clue.
Claim: Because I haven't heard DHS brag all the time
about catching terrorists, there must be nothing
happening.
Truth: Most of the time when protective measures work
well you *don't* hear anything- the security community
rarely boasts of their successes because this alerts
adversaries to the measures? effectiveness- let alone
producing a dozen other counterproductive results. No
press is good press for the intelligence community-
they are reticent to a fault. As well, the primary
value of defensive measures (as an earlier poster
astutely remarked) is their ability to deter criminal
actions from being undertaken in the first place (and
the more layers of defenses the better). Terrorists
could certainly bypass all our defenses, but they are
much more likely to go for softer targets than go
through all the trouble and increased likelihood of
being caught. Even criminals are risk averse- think
signs in front of homes advertising burglar alarms.
Experienced criminals can certainly defeat them but
they would rather hit the easier target next door.
Read the 9/11 report- we *need* a biometrics program
for entrants to the country. The primary reason we
lost track of the 9/11 terrorists when they entered
the country was our almost laughably insecure visa
system. In fact, we tracked the ones we knew about
better outside the US! While all our defensive
measures are certainly flawed and cost a bundle of
cash, since 2001 something must be working, although
it is difficult to asses exactly what...or do you
think terrorists suddenly stopped trying to enter the
US and perpetrate attacks after 9/11?

And before someone attacks me for being an apologist
for DHS- I have never worked for them/have no part in
border security/now am just a student going into
another field after I graduate. In fact, I am a critic
of the way they are run.