

Dr. Joseph Bonneau, an engineer at Google, is the first-ever winner of the NSA's new Science of Security (SoS) Competition, a prize for excellence in cyber-security research. On learning that he had won the first prize, he published a scorching blog-post excoriating the NSA for its dragnet surveillance and opining "I don't think a free society is compatible with an organisation like the NSA in its current form."

I don't think a free society is compatible with an organisation like the NSA in its current form. Yet I'm glad I got the rare opportunity to visit with the NSA and I'm grateful for my hosts' genuine hospitality. A large group of engineers turned up to hear my presentation, asked sharp questions, understood and cared about the privacy implications of studying password data. It affirmed my feeling that America's core problems are in Washington and not in Fort Meade. Our focus must remain on winning the public debate around surveillance and developing privacy-enhancing technology. But I hope that this award program, established to increase engagement with academic researchers, can be a small but positive step.

NSA Award for Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper

(via EFF)