Schneier on Security: Risks of Cell Phones on Airplanes
I remember, just after the Madrid train bombing, how people (well, politicians) were talking about turning off cell phone networks during a terrorist attack. I also remember thinking about how stupid that would be.
This is more thinking along those lines. I forget who said it now, but I remember reading recently that these days you’re better off trusting information from “unofficial” sources, instead of “official” sources. This is because the official sources take too long to get the right information and sort things out – whereas the unofficial sources (people with cell phones, bloggers, etc.) are right there, and can often have more accurate information. Shutting down cell networks during times of crisis would eliminate the “unofficial” source – and make us all less safe.
Trade-offs, there’s always a trade-off with security…
