Bruce Schneier, a security expert (I think he’s actually earned that title) writes a monthly column on all sorts of security, often computer-related. This month’s column has two interesting sections.

First, Bruce talks about National ID cards and the problems associated with that plan. Basic gist: it’s a bad idea.

Second, there’s a short cost/benefit analysis related to electronic voting. If hacking in to a voting computer turns out to be at all possible (and hopefully we’ve learned at this point that, since it’s a computer, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be possible), doing so is a far cheaper way to win a close election than trying to advertise and win votes through legitimate channels. Which is not to say that all politicians will immediately try it, but it’s a sign that maybe we’re not ready for electronic voting machines. What’s wrong with paper ballots?