I’m almost halfway through Bruce Schneier’s Beyond Fear, a book about security, and it’s already changing the way I think about security. When I read about Able Danger, I instantly thought, “But what about the trade-offs?” The pundits talks about the claim that Able Danger identified one of the 9/11 terrorists. They say it strengthens the case for data mining.

Now I see why after Beyond Fear, it says, “Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World.” The Modern Mythocracy doesn’t know anything about Able Danger. The pundits have no idea how many non-terrorists Able Danger tagged. They have no idea what a rogue agent could do with this information. They have no idea what additional risks data mining could present. All they see is one bit of information. They don’t know if the trade-offs are worth it.

Instead of thinking sensibly about security, they spin a myth, telling us that data mining is the magical anti-terror panacaea that the government is hiding from us. Now, I don’t know anything about Able Danger myself. However, I’m not going to make up a myth about it. I’m not going to tell you that that particular venture in data mining is not worth it. I don’t know one way or the other.

You should read Beyond Fear, instead of the latest pundit’s myth on what they think will make the nation more secure.