The goodybag giveaway industry might be a bit miffed at Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As he talked about national security issues at Palantir Tech’s Palantir Night Live Thursday evening, he warned attendees to throw away a most popular item – thumb drives – found in event parting gifts. “You look at it and say ‘It’s free!’, but where did it really come from and what might be on it? Introducing an unknown into your secure space is not a good idea.”
Making his and other valid points about the secure state of our union, Chertoff’s “lack of information” themed talk detailed his own experiences on September 11th, and his personal views on national security. Praising the efforts of the government and individuals to obtain information, he maintained that the need for info-gathering can never be satisfied.
“Individuals’ observances – and even minutea shared on Facebook and Twitter – can be invaluable.”
*Image credit: Tri Tang, pictured: Kate Michael, Michael Chertoff and Amy Senger.
