Frankenstein’s other Monster: Toward a Philosophy of Information Security

In this paper we take steps toward a philosophy of Information Security. A review of the current state of the philosophy of technology reveals a strong bias toward system capabilities and away from system vulnerabilities. By introducing a systems context to these philosophical dialogues we show that vulnerability is as fundamental to both man-made and natural systems as capability and that this creates new spaces for framing technology as well as for thinking about how humans experience these technologies. Frankenstein’s well-known monster is often invoked as a metaphor for the kinds of problems that man encounters when the technological capabilities that he creates are beyond his control. We contrast this monster with another monster, also created by man, which captures the problems arising not from technology’s capabilities, but from technology’s vulnerabilities. Frankenstein’s other monster is the set of complex networked information systems that need to be understood and protected from various environmental threats. Implications for the philosophy of technology and for the theory and practice of Information Security are discussed.