You can't fix stupid

What a great line.

I was watching Comedy Central the other night and heard Ron White utter those perfect words "You can't fix stupid." In one line he summed up why I can spend the rest of my life working in Information Security.

The truth is no matter how smart we think we are we make mistakes. Big ones, small ones, can't believe you had the gall ones. The problem is the people you have trusted with your information all make mistakes;

• the criminal who jumped the border and is working illegally for $3/hr at the Quiki-Mart,
• the CEO who thinks skipping commercials is advertising theft,
• or the music publisher who thinks hacking your computer is the only way to protect their property.

The problem is the people who you trust with your information are focused on protecting their assets not yours.

I believe that it is time for this to change. This information about us that is being freely stored, traded, and sold without our permission is our property. Our intellectual property is worth billions; that is why Identity Theft happens. Criminals only steal what has value. It is time that we demand that business and government recognize that we are the rightful owners of our property and it's improper use is a crime. Businesses that fail to protect our property are just as liable as if they damage our health or homes.

You can't fix stupid; but you can make them pay to put up with it.