Re:Qian Xuesen dies at 98; Co-Founder of JPL and China's spa...
by gwern on Sunday December 15, 2013 @02:30PM
(#6910497)
> Security is a judicial procedure, which is why we try and convict spies of espionage using evidence gathered by investigations rather than disappearing and executing people suspected of being traitors.
No, it can escalate into judicial procedures if security agencies decide to make an example of someone, but it is not inherently judicial. When someone is denied clearance, it is not because they were put on trial by a jury of their peers and found guilty by majority vote after an extended trial with all the safeguards afforded citizens by the constitution.
> Algorithms don't have moral agency and can't act of their own accord. This analogy is unhelpful.
The analogy is apt. Both people and software are part of systems (have we learned nothing from social engineering?) and are attack surfaces.
> That he had been strongly linked or associated with activity or actors that were engaged in espionage? Fair enough. If you are claiming that his ancestry alone
Yes, that his loyalties may be divided because he came from China and not some obscure country like New Zealand. And let's not forget, it's not just his 'ancestry' - he wasn't born in Peoria Iowa. He was born and raised in China and came to the USA for higher education. That's much closer ties to China than 'ancestry'.
No, it can escalate into judicial procedures if security agencies decide to make an example of someone, but it is not inherently judicial. When someone is denied clearance, it is not because they were put on trial by a jury of their peers and found guilty by majority vote after an extended trial with all the safeguards afforded citizens by the constitution.
> Algorithms don't have moral agency and can't act of their own accord. This analogy is unhelpful.
The analogy is apt. Both people and software are part of systems (have we learned nothing from social engineering?) and are attack surfaces.
> That he had been strongly linked or associated with activity or actors that were engaged in espionage? Fair enough. If you are claiming that his ancestry alone
Yes, that his loyalties may be divided because he came from China and not some obscure country like New Zealand. And let's not forget, it's not just his 'ancestry' - he wasn't born in Peoria Iowa. He was born and raised in China and came to the USA for higher education. That's much closer ties to China than 'ancestry'.