
Trump names Rudy Giuliani as cybersecurity adviser - mzs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/01/12/trump-names-rudy-giuliani-as-cybersecurity-adviser/
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Someone1234
A better way to phase this is that Giuliani's private consulting business is a
cybersecurity adviser. Giuliani himself likely has no expertise in the field
at all.

Overall the US is going to keep getting successfully exploited until they
actually ask subject experts how to defend themselves rather than lawyers,
MBAs, and politicians.

This is something Obama did very well with the "The United States Digital
Service." He cut out the useless empty suites, got in a bunch of subject
experts, and accomplished things.

Can you imagine how critical the media would be if Trump's defence advisor was
a lawyer? But for IT and cyber security that's just fine I guess...

~~~
65827
What exactly did Obama accomplish with the Digital Service? It's an honest
question, seems like he's more known for literally every single agency getting
hacked and their inability to launch a healthcare website, what have been the
accomplishments that weren't reported as much?

~~~
dj-wonk
When I hear questions such as "what did person P accomplish with X?" I like to
reframe them.

To assess the value of intervention X, one may want to compare the actual
effect (E1) with some estimates of what would have happened (E2) if X did not
happen.

If one does not use a comparison of this manner, one probably is not
distinguishing between luck and causation.

~~~
dj-wonk
To answer my own question, without the Digital Service, I would estimate that:

* Existing agencies would struggle to assemble a talented, motivated critical mass of software developers. Why? Attracting these kinds of developers requires cultural shifts and 'economies of people' (to riff on the term 'economies of scale'.) It also requires a concerted effort on hiring and knowing how to slot skilled technologists in government pay scales. Not all (few?) agencies have figured out to make this happen.

* Existing agencies would likely continue to procure work as before; e.g. through a maze of procurement and perhaps through some (limited, if any) internal development resources.

I would welcome a continuation of this line of thinking from those who have
worked closely with and/or observed the USDS.

~~~
sjg007
Well there have always been contractors but the ACA health exchanges had to
work.. the first attempt did not, why because they were contractors and as one
could surmise not actually effective at scale. So bring in the digital service
who did things as they should have been done... This can be as simple as code
to spec vs take ownership and go above and beyond. And it worked. It had to.

In the next administration Palantir is going to clean up.. why b/c of Thiel
and because of current contractor ineffectiveness. The Digital 18F will
survive but it's not clear that the agencies they serve will.

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plandis
Seems like Trump is rewarding those who support him over actual qualified
individuals.

Bummer.

~~~
ciconia
Did you really expect anything other than that? Are you really taking this guy
seriously?

~~~
krapp
Well... we have to take him seriously. He's about to command an army and
control a nuclear arsenal.

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mzs
On a related note, does anyone know who and what meeting PE Trump was
referring to yesterday?

"One of the things we’re going to do, we have some of the greatest computer
minds anywhere in the world that we've assembled. You saw just a sample of it
two weeks ago up here we had the six top people in the world. They were never
the same room together as a group. And we’re going to put those minds
together, and we're going to form a defense."

~~~
radiorental
Probably this meeting

[https://www.wired.com/2016/12/trump-meeting-tech-ceos-
gonna-...](https://www.wired.com/2016/12/trump-meeting-tech-ceos-gonna-
awkward/)

~~~
binaryblitz
Wow, a room full of people who know nothing about cyber security. Good job
drumpf.

~~~
radiorental
A room full of people advocating for tax breaks for their busniesses

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Esau
Maybe it's me but I swear Trump goes out of his way to name people who's
personal views are the opposite of their assigned mission.

~~~
thewhitetulip
Yes, he is doing that.

RT(Ruptly TV) news channel made a joke about it, if Trump is to nominate
someone for "ministry of comedy", he'd find someone who hates comedy.

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Gargoyle
The person with the current role closest to this one-

[https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/author/michael-
daniel](https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/author/michael-daniel)

~~~
jdironman
It's interesting how they try to make him relatable at the end of that with
the 'Rambunctious' kids and personal endeavors bit. Maybe I am just nit-
picking.

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rbanffy
/me grabs popcorn.

It'll be fun to watch.

