Devices Will Have Manners, Even If We Don't
Once we go down this path -- giving one device authority over other devices -- the security problems start piling up. Who has the authority to limit functionality of my devices, and how do they get that authority? What prevents them from abusing that power? Do I get the ability to override their limitations? In what circumstances, and how? Can they override my override?
How do we prevent this from being abused? Can a burglar, for
example, enforce a "no photography" rule and prevent security cameras
from working? Can the police enforce the same rule to avoid another
Rodney King incident? Do the police get "superuser" devices that cannot
be limited, and do they get "supercontroller" devices that can limit
anything? How do we ensure that only they get them, and what do we do
when the devices inevitably fall into the wrong hands?
That's a lot of questions, Bruce. The short answer to all of them is whatever is the least appealing version will no doubt become the standard, so no thanks to all of it. I'm old-fashioned, I guess; I prefer to just yell at people who are behaving like jerks in public places.
