Communications of the ACM
FTC Chief Technologist Felten Urges Techies to Enter, Influence Government
"I am trying to move a very heavy weight, so I should only expect to move it a short distance," U.S. Federal Trade Commission chief technologist Edward Felten said of computer scientists' involvement in government service.
Credit: Salon
In a USENIX conference keynote address in Boston on Tuesday (June 12), renowned security expert Edward Felten, the first chief technologist of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, urged fellow computer scientists to seek out government posts for an opportunity to affect public policy, which often affects their jobs, Felten said
Even if technologists don't attain positions of direct authority, Felten said their increased presence will incur a rise in "soft power," or influence for their points of view.
However, it's important to have realistic expectations, Felten said. "Even if you make an iota of difference, you've done a lot of good in the aggregate," he said.
From IDG News Service
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