They’re behind you! Oh nooooo they’reeee not! OH YES THEY ARE! Panto is fun, and is a type of theatre. You know what else is a type of theatre? Blurring your background when you’re on a call.
Security theatre is normally considered a bad thing, but I think there are times when it can be a good thing.
Security Theatre
Security theatre sounds like a very boring play, and when you’re standing in line at an airport waiting on everyone taking their shoes off, you’d be correct in saying it is very boring.
You see, security theatre is when a place does something that adds to the feeling of improved security while doing basically nothing to make things more secure. If you think someone that wants to blow up a plane can’t do that without hiding something in their shoe or bringing liquid under a certain amount then, well, you lack imagination, friend!
Because the act doesn’t achieve security, it is universally seen as a bad thing, and don’t get me wrong, it is a bad thing, most of the time. Don’t try and look secure when you can be secure.
Why I blur my background
When I’m on calls, I blur my background, and it isn’t just because I like to be the centre of attention. I blur because whilst I don’t have a single acting bone in my body, I like to engage in a bit of security theatre.
If I really wanted to make sure that absolutely nothing in my environment could leak information to the people I’m conferencing with, I would rent an office with a lockable door, and have absolutely nothing behind me and no reflective surfaces anywhere. I’m sure even then there could be gaps, but it would be more secure.
However, for us, the risk that someone will walk behind me carrying a dossier titled “client secrets” in 72pt font might not be zero, but close enough to it that I’m happy we’re generally secure.
So, why blur? because I want the people I’m talking to to think about why they aren’t blurring, and if enough people on a call have that little bit of not-really-secure-but-a-small-bit-secure then people without it might turn it on.
Intermission
You’re about half way through the article, treat yourself to some ice-cream, but do it in a way that appears secure.
Why I steal writing pads
I want to share another thing I do when I’m meeting clients in person and we’re in a third space, like a rented office or coffeeshop. If pads have been provided and I’ve written anything on them, I don’t just take my pages away with me, I will take either the entire pad or a good chunk of it.
This is the part in the performance where the audience goes awwww, because the poor critter can’t even afford stationary! He should raise his rates! Poor soul!
I don’t mean to gloat, but I’ve got hella notebooks and pens. I don’t take these because I need them, nor is it purely for the love of theft. I do it because I lean quite hard when I write, and as any nursery school child could tell you, all it takes is a gentle rub of a pencil and previous scribbles come back to life!
Sometimes I have written down something that is genuinely something that you wouldn’t want publicised, but I’ve been in plenty of meetings where when questioned, people suddenly think about the little paper trails they’ve that maybe they shouldn’t.
Are you paranoid?
Nope, most of my work isn’t that important (if you’re a client reading this, not you, your work is very important) and most people wouldn’t pocket any information if I literally handed it to them. I know this. But I also know that there are little habits that can save you from yourself.
Are these actually examples of security theatre?
I’d argue yes, I think you can hold in your head that extra checks at airports don’t actually stop a very motivated person, but they probably stop some foolish American who for some insane reason owns a gun and forgets they have it in their bag. In the same way some of the things I’ve shared that I do don’t actually “solve” an issue, but they normalise some small step to improving it.
Curtain down
The article is over, I’m ready for your standing ovation.