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Geer Comments On Firing From @Stake

Posted by timothy on from the can-you-smell-the-ionized-air dept.

dwbryson writes "Last week Dan Geer, co-author of the CCIA Microsoft security report, was fired from @stake for expressing 'values and opinions [of the report] not in line with @stake's views.' Now Geer has been talking to eWeek and comments on his dismissal."

6 of 433 comments (clear)

  1. Re:free speech has a cost by EinarH · · Score: 4, Interesting
    This is not as much about free speech as it is about the relationship between employers and employed scientists as consultants.

    We will probably see more cases as this as a higher percentage of scientists are funded directly (in companies) or indirectly (sponsored uni/gov-programs) by businesses.
    As if anyone did not know about it; sustained publishing of controversial research funded by corporations is almost impossible.

    --

    Melius mori in libertate quam vivere in servitute.

  2. Re:Help! Help! I'm being repressed! by rknop · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What kind of wooly crap is this? I mean, if I criticise my biggest customer, or my company's profit base, I think I can expect my manager to have 'words' with me at least. This is just another MS-is-bad-and-I-don't-care-if-that's-true-or-not story.

    If you claim to be security consultants who know security, rather than PR consultants who use words like "security" to help advertising, then you do very poorly for yourself by so obviously and publicaly squelching any appearance of having said something potentially negative about the security of one of your largest customers.

    The point is that Microsoft's huge power in the industry appears to be making it impossible for real security firms to exist. As such, we should all be leary of any such's claims, and wonder if in fact they are really PR firms who use words like "security".

    -Rob

  3. You go, Greer by drpickett · · Score: 4, Interesting
    He called it perfectly

    His job is to spot the trends coming in the future - And his employer gags him for doing his job - I stand by my remarks in the previous thread on this topic - @Stake will have a very hard time attracting a decent replacement candidate, and their research will now always be suspect...

    ...at least for the two weeks that it takes modern society to forget that it ever happened

  4. Re:free speech has a cost by jeffasselin · · Score: 5, Interesting
    In fact, it was the employer excercising their rights to fire an employee for making statements they didn't like, and it affirms, rather than denies the Bill of Rights.

    But should corporations have constitutional rights? Like individuals?

    Considering that the avowed objective of any corporation is to make money, and no other purpose, they are by definition non-ethical. The individuals that comprise them may well be ethical, but the resulting "virtual entity" isn't. A human being has a conscience, may care about the consequences of his actions; moral, ethical, religious, or justicial. A corporation has no conscience, no morals, and should not be considered equal or superior to a human being, and be given equal rights.

    --
    If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
  5. What happened l0pht? by navyrain · · Score: 4, Interesting

    @stake used to be "l0pht heavy industries", a nifty little group of hackers toying around. (www.l0pht.com) Now they're all business. Lame. "What happened l0pht? You used to be cool."

  6. Live and Learn by spacerog · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Whether Microsoft had a hand in his demise "will be forever impossible to ascertain," Geer said. "One might say communication wasn't necessary. There's a school of thought that says that a phone call wasn't needed. The more powerful you are, the less likely you are to have to pick up the phone. At most, you could call it plausible deniability."

    I am surprised that Dan has decided to publicly say anything. This would seem to indicate his relutcance to pursue the matter in court. Or maybe he just hasn't spoken to a lawyer yet. Or is this opening slavo?

    Before the obvious referances are made let me just say (again) that what @stake has become is in no way related to what L0pht was. I think there is only one of us left (Weld), everyone else has seen the writing on the wall and moved on. I just hope Dan is able to put this behind him soon and move on as well.

    - SR
    spacerog AT spacerogue DOT net