In this episode of the CTO show hosted by Mehmet, cybersecurity icon Wes Kussmaul shares his extensive experience in IT, starting from his early programming days in the Air Force during the 60s and 70s, to creating the world’s first online encyclopedia and eventually venturing into social media. Wes discusses the evolution of his career, including the innovative creation and sale of his first business to Rupert Murdoch’s News America Corporation, and his ventures into developing secure and accountable social media. He introduces ‘Quiet Enjoyment’, a book inspired by his daughter, exploring the concept of bringing accountability back to social media through a global PKI system. Wes elaborates on the issues of digital identity and the challenges of establishing measurably reliable identity verification, underlining the importance of identity attestation by legally liable professionals. He criticizes the modern assumptions about cybersecurity, stressing on the significance of accountability over merely ‘catching the bad guys’. Wes advocates for PKI as a superior system for ensuring accountability while maintaining privacy, comparing it unfavorably to blockchain’s anonymity that often aids criminal activities. Finally, Wes calls for an educational shift towards understanding digital signatures and PKI and emphasizes rebuilding the internet as a secure space akin to ‘indoor’ environments with clear accountability, rather than the unprotected ‘highway’ it currently resembles.
More about Wes:
Wes Kussmaul creator of the first online encyclopedia, for over 3 decades has been advocating for a safe digital space where there is real accountability, security and privacy. He founded The Authenticity Alliance, which offers an identity-based, human centric, PKI platform where there is real accountability, privacy and security.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/weskussmaul
00:00 Welcome to the CTO Show: A Deep Dive with Wes Kussmaul
01:16 Wes Kussmaul’s Journey: From Air Force to IT Icon
01:53 The Birth of Online Encyclopedia and Social Media Ventures
02:50 Championing Accountable Anonymity in Social Media
04:34 The Evolution of PKI and the World eTrust Initiative
06:03 Building a New Global Certification Authority
06:49 Exploring the Challenges of Digital Identity Security
07:44 The Importance of Measurably Reliable Identities
21:16 Addressing the Misconceptions of PKI and Blockchain
35:41 Envisioning a Safer Internet with Accountable Security
39:46 Final Thoughts and the Future of Digital Security