THERE is no doubting that some items operations are so dangerous, that they need to be placed away from casual exposure. That is why your computer keyboard has no single key labelled ‘reboot’ which could be accidentally pressed with unfortunate consequences for your unsaved work.
A simple scan of the media over the past week provides some opportunities to identify instances when information was deliberately withheld or otherwise disguised to conceal it, for example:
* During the Botham Jean murder trial in the United States, evidence was unearthed of text messages that the defendant deliberately deleted, no doubt to avoid the critical implications that could undermine her legal defense;
* At the presidential level, we learned of steps taken to move embarrassing evidence of improper telephone exchanges with a foreign leader, after a whistleblower complaint alleged foul play;
* Locally, a popular Thursday evening show regularly helps us unearth shady activities within our own government, by featuring incredible insights from leaked documents and inside information.
These few instances provide reasons why information is sometimes hidden from prying eyes, to avoid the harsh glare of preferably secret information being brought to light. Persons who work in ICT circles have an ongoing challenge to keep sensitive information from being exposed. Hopefully, you don’t expect your own system administrators to hack your passwords or your files, not when there are hackers aplenty itching to attack exposed information systems.
A recent IDC report predicted a compounded annual data growth rate of 61 percent. With this expected increase in the volume of data that we generate, are you confident that you are taking sufficient steps to keep your sensitive data well contained?
Editor’s note: Dr. Lyndell St Ville is an ICT Consultant with a background in environmental science. His expertise includes systems analysis, planning, and capacity building. To share your views, contact the author at: www.datashore.net or via The VOICE.