PRIVACY AND SECURITY - FRIENDS OR ENEMIES?

Privacy and security seem to be natural enemies: an attacker cannot be identified if he is anonymous, and if we want to remain incognito, man-in-the-middle attacks become possible. But this is not always the case, as privacy and security might need each other. For instance, anonymous remailers do not work without encryption, and police investigations often require anonymity. But while privacy obviously needs security, the other connection is not so obvious. This article discusses such interdependencies. Specific topics include storing IP addresses in webserver logs (legality is based on whether technical needs exist outweighing privacy risks) and whistleblowing platforms (strong security needed to absolutely guarantee anonymity, including how to obtain trust in a platform which the actual users will never recommend to remain anonymous).