Dave and Bill  

How many times have you heard that the ideal business deal is one that is a Win/Win for everyone involved? Well, I’m here to let all our listeners know that we have the ultimate Winn –-- Winn Schwartau.

Winn is not one to sound his own horn, regarding his personal achievements, so, I’m going to take a moment and give a shout-out to address some of his notable achievements.

Winn is a well-respected keynote speaker, seminar leader and author about numerous topics concerning information security and electronic privacy. He has been referred to as the “civilian architect of information warfare,” and has written a number of books and contributing articles on the subject.

In 1994 he created InfowarCon, a world renowned annual conference on critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism.

He founded SCIPP International and other companies including Trusted Learning Corporation, an online global education system allowing any organization to open its own learning centers, Interpact, Inc., a developer of information security awareness program for private, public and government organizations; and NiceKids.Net Inc., a cyber ethics website for kids, parents, families and teachers.

Winn has testified before Congress and advisory committees as an expert in information security and has appeared regularly on various U.S., European and Asian television shows, as well as radio shows and documentaries. And now CHWradio – okay that was a plug.

I can hear Winn saying, and not in any timid manner, “Enough with the bio, no more about me, what about you?”

From a successful record producer during the Zeppelin and Hendrix era he’s become an equivalent and accomplished security authority producing awareness and security for the masses.

Issues become a focal point when we realize we want a more secure and safer environment for our kids. We saw the same line of thinking with Gary Sheerin, author of Peter’s Packets series; an IT security guy for one the Fortune 50 companies. Both Gary’s and Winn’s children became the impetus to improve the education, security and the necessary behavior changes to effect change on the Internet.

Winn recalls conversations with Bill Gates and others in the IT community, warning them about the huge disservice that was being done by not paying attention to the security issues and the little tenuous concerns growing around the industry which needed to be addressed from an ethical, safety, and security standpoint.

Gates and the others, brushed Winn’s concerns off, “Schwartau you’re over reacting” he was viewed as a “Chicken Little” syndrome… the sky is falling attitude.  Well, needless to say, right –wrong – or indifferent, Winn was right, but wishes differently and would be glad to have been wrong.

One question we ask all our guests is, “What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, Responsible CyberCitizen?” One reason we ask this is to help define and begin to have our listeners formulate in their own minds a conscious awareness of being a responsible cybercitizen; a behavioral change. The one thing Winn says is critical to securing the masses. However, Winn’s answer was a first, and shouldn’t have been a surprise. Winn’s comment was that it was an oxymoron.

Why an oxymoron?  Winn explains with a billion Internet users and less than one per cent fluent and/or efficient of what’s going on under the “Hood” ( that was the closest to another plug as I could muster), which is estimated to be two to three million; the folks that are suppose to know better. The other 99% on the Internet are there to use the Net for simple tasks; an extension of their normal everyday lives and unaware of their Internet environment.  

So, why would they want to become experts about security and all kinds of stuff related to the Internet that they don’t need to know about, if we the experts, are suppose to take care of the security and have done our jobs right to begin with?

Winn believes we’ve abdicated our responsibilities as parents and educators in this country when it comes to teaching the kids how to behave, how to grow up responsibly, how to be socially responsible in a social technical network, because the teachers and the parents don’t understand it, they don’t get it; thus the abdication and why we don’t have the responsible cybercitizens. This is another reason why we don’t have enough individuals to promulgate the better behaviors for the next net-generation. “It’s due to ignorance”, says Winn.

Are Bill and I hopelessly swimming upstream with our message and trying to develop responsible cybercitizens? “Yes, it’s hopeless, but yes, we still have to do something, if we don’t try we become increasingly part of the problem", said Winn. The concern Winn has is Bill and I and others are way ahead of the curve with knowledge, teaching awareness and proper behavior on the Internet even though many others have been involved trying to get this message out for the past twenty years.

It hasn’t helped that the vendors have raved about the Internet being a panacea, the most wonderful peaceful place you could ever imagine; ignore the doomsayers; there’s nothing wrong with the future. The concern Winn has if everyone hears the message everything is good versus everything is bad or you need to learn to do this correctly, has created a natural battle which has occurred over the years. People don’t want to hear the bad news, but that being said, every convert that Bill and I have, every convert that Winn has, or friends of Winn’s, is one more trying to help that will eventually reach a tipping point. Winn believes that tipping point won’t be with the users, but with the IT community, where they create environments that eliminate many of these problems.

“The average American sitting at home on his computer, on his network high speed cable connection, a large percentage of them actively support organized crime and terrorism”, said Winn Schwartau. His prefacing this comment was that it annoyed other constituents of his and it may even annoy Bill and me. However, we couldn’t agree with Winn more on that statement, which is evident throughout our posts, The CyberHood Watch, CHWradio and Online Security Authority.

It’s the IT community’s mistake, we’ve given the public the seat of a 757 when all they need is the seat of a Ford Fiesta, considering all they really want to do is go shopping.

What can we do? Get people to write, talk, promulgate, do radio shows, endorse, and get others to hear and speak the message. Because security and safety is not about people it’s about behavior. What needs to change is the operating environment.

What do 99% of users really need? From a behavioral standpoint, what we’re giving them is the seat of a 757, when all they need is that nice little automatic Ford Fiesta. We’ve given individuals the wrong stuff, we need to change the fundamental environment in which the users are working, playing, educating themselves, and all the entertainment.

How do we do this? Operating environment; cloud. EEPC. Changes in IP connectivity. Hear what Winn said at 18’ 00”.

Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it. This is what raises the question of ethics on the Internet. I suggest if parents want to understand how to make a difference grab Winn’s book, “Internet & Computer Ethics for Kids”.

Again and again if you want a safer Internet it begins with good parenting, which is the core of behavioral change to making changes. The tools are there to use and assist, but it still rests with the parents.

What I’ve covered here is only half of what Winn talked to us about in the first half of the CHWradio show. Take the time to listen or download it for later.

Be sure to listen to the remaining half of the show and find out why it’s important to vote in this year’s election and what Winn’s point of view regarding the next President.

Let’s find the “Greatest CyberTeacher”… let Bill and I know who you think that is: contact The CyberHood Watch at: CyberHoodWatch@gmail(dot)com.

If nothing else go to the 54^th minute of the show and listen to our “water cooler question” and Winn’s simple and profound comment on how to effect change.

My partner Bill Wardell, posted to The CyberHood Watch about our conversation with Utah’s Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, from a very personal point of view that you can read here.

Some may notice that our guests are asked to share with our listeners what comes to mind when they hear the phrase, “Responsible CyberCitizen”. We believe the more the question is asked and the more our listeners hear the question and the answers that follow, the more viral “Responsible CyberCitizen” becomes.

When we asked Utah’s Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, he echoed what other authorities in their field have shared with us this past year. The common thread of advice that runs throughout is being non complacent – education – prevention – awareness and communication. When you look at these common threads, they are not specific to being a responsible cybercitizen, they are what help to effect behavioral changes.

We discussed one of the fastest growing white collar crimes worldwide and that is Identity Theft. The Attorney Generals Office has built one of the more efficient websites, IRIS (Identity Theft Reporting Information System) to help the citizens of Utah with a one-stop-site on how to file an identity theft incident and what measures to take to restore your good name. It’s like Mark alluded to his Grandma’s and Shakespeare’s reference to the value of one’s good name.

This is jumping ahead in our conversation a bit with Mark, but the youth today, as tech savvy as they may be, are unfortunately, not seasoned with the years to understand how valuable their good name is and the implied integrity attached to it. Our children today have been drawn into the vortex of the Internet and the New Net-Generation of social media. Many parents were drawn into the panacea of the Internet, myself included, and failed to realize with this powerful new media, also came a swift response from nefarious individuals to aid in the corruption of our children. It’s not just the concerns of children giving out personal identifying information; teens can create their own problems and find ways to tarnish their good name and their future reputation for a lifetime. For example, the recent problem with “sex teens” in which teens will send inappropriate pictures of themselves or others to the web or friends. It’s a permanent record for all to see, all over the world, even their future grandchildren.

Utah recently passed a law that if you suspect or have been notified that your identity has been compromised, you can freeze your credit account. What’s unique about this law is you can unfreeze your credit in fifteen minutes if plan on applying for a loan.

We talked about “Phishing” scams and the issues dealing with jurisdiction, something that was covered extensively by Ben Wilson of Xcera Consulting.

Another tool created by the Attorney General’s office has been Crime Reports. This site allows communities to know what is happening in their neighborhoods. It allows concerned neighbors to have a thumb on the pulse of what criminal activities are occurring in their perspective communities, it creates awareness with activities you may not have been aware of.

As Winn Schwartau indicated, Bill and I (Dave & Bill) may never see the full impact of our efforts, but an effort we must make, if we are to effect change. Mark Shurtleff, Utah’s Attorney General, certainly understands the challenge and has joined the New Net-Generation of Responsible CyberCitizens. Mark is an example of what the State AGs across the United States can accomplish if they take his lead in being proactive on the Internet.

The CyberHood Watch appreciates Mark’s support and commitment to recommend us to our States AGs Nationally. Both Bill and I knew from the onset, what we would accomplish would not be of our own fruition alone. It takes individuals who understand the challenge, like Mark Shurtleff, who can help get the message heard by his peers.