Advances in digital technology have provided us with a long list of feature rich capabilities, yet the topic of cyber security often arises as corporate and government networks are hacked and users of this advanced technology fall prey to identify theft. In this talk Stephen Cobb presents two views of our digital future - one that is bright and shiny, providing us with every more benefits, and one that is dismal and disappointing, as our personal data is compromised. Which future we end up with depends on the decisions we make about protecting our data, and about adding diversity to the ranks of security professionals.

Stephen Cobb has been researching computer security and data privacy for more than 20 years, advising companies, consumers, and government agencies on the protection of sensitive data and systems. Cobb has been a CISSP since 1996 and currently leads a San Diego-based research team for security software maker ESET. He is also working on an MSc. in Criminology at the University of Leicester in England.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx