Security or Privacy , Must We Choose ?

Hardly a day passes without reports of new threats in or about the Internet. Denial of service, worms, viruses, spam, and divulged credit card information highlight the major security threats. At the same time, we are bombarded by reports that privacy is at the greatest risk of all time, caused by the massive ability to store and search information and to trace activities across the Internet. In this paper, we address issues of conflict that exist between security mechanisms and privacy, including the tradeoffs from a public safety and well-being standpoint, and the technology that can facilitate a suitable balance between privacy and protection priorities. The recent brutal attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept 11, 2001, confirm the connection between security, privacy, and public safety. To protect our liberties and freedoms it is therefore essential that we adopt a holistic security approach.