No Ethics, No Guild, No Credibility

An article in the hometown press on our great state's efforts to protect its citizens from crooked locksmiths and security guards with misdemeanors.

Like many state licensing agencies, such as those watching over doctors, electricians and architects, the Private Security Bureau checks the criminal backgrounds of applicants. But unlike virtually every other such agency, the bureau doesn't then evaluate whether applicants' past behavior has any relevance to their current work, how long ago the crime occurred or whether they have tried to rehabilitate themselves. Instead, applicants with a record sullied by most crimes above a traffic ticket are automatically rejected.

The result: Locksmiths and other professions regulated by the Private Security Bureau must have cleaner legal backgrounds than child care workers.

I also thought about the numerous unlicensed, unmonitored quasi-professionals that serve the security of consumers, businesses and government in the electronic rather than physical realm. Configuring a server, or setting up a home PC may grant access as lucrative as whatever a locksmith or security guard may obtain. Who configured the server for the accounting firm who does your taxes? Is the guy from Geek Squad who just serviced your computer a part-time carder? (I tried to see if there are any ethical or background requirements to become a member of the Geek Squad, but my mind boggled at their Ranks and Titles page. It's the Masons meets Homeland Security. I'd wager their pee is clear of non-approved substances, though.)

I'm not calling on the State of Texas to regulate this issue, but ethics and compliance with ethics doesn't seem a priority for the ISC2 and the CISSP designation, a point made eloquently elsewhere. I have more thoughts on how the CISSP could be salvaged, but I'll make them later.

photo by Monceau