Susan Landau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Landau
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Landau in 2022
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| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Fields | Engineering, Cyber Security; Cryptography |
Susan Landau is an American expert in cybersecurity and mathematics. She is also an engineer. She teaches about cybersecurity and policy at Tufts University. Before that, she worked at Google as a privacy analyst. She has also been a special researcher at Harvard University.
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Susan Landau's Journey
Susan Landau went to Bronx Science high school. She then studied mathematics at Princeton University, finishing in 1976. She earned a master's degree from Cornell University in 1979. Later, she received her Ph.D. (a high-level degree) in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1983.
Research and Work
From 1999 to 2010, Susan Landau focused on internet security at a company called Sun Microsystems. She worked to make sure online systems were safe.
In 1989, she created an important algorithm. An algorithm is like a set of step-by-step instructions for solving a problem. Her algorithm helped figure out how to simplify certain math problems involving "nested radicals." This is now known as Landau's algorithm.
Helping Others in Science
Susan Landau cares a lot about encouraging women in science. She helps run an email list called "ResearcHers." This group supports women who are new to computer science research. She also keeps an online list of writings by women in computer science.
In 2008, she received the Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award. This award recognized her positive impact on society. She has also been honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for Computing Machinery.
Books and Awards
In 2012, Susan Landau won an award for her book, Surveillance or Security? The Risks Posed by New Wiretapping Technologies. This book talks about the dangers of new ways to listen in on communications. In 2015, she was added to the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for people who have made big contributions to cybersecurity.
Her Role in the FBI-Apple Case
Susan Landau was involved in a big discussion between the FBI and Apple Inc. in 2015 and 2016. This discussion was about whether Apple should create a way for the government to access encrypted iPhone data.
She helped write a report called "Keys Under Doormats." This report explained why forcing companies to create "backdoors" (secret ways in) to their systems would make everyone less safe. The report argued that it would weaken security for everyone. The government at the time, the Obama administration, paid close attention to her report's ideas. They decided not to force companies to allow special access to phone data.
Susan Landau explained that making iPhones less secure would not stop criminals or terrorists. Instead, it would just make them use other methods that the FBI could not control. She believed that weakening security would "weaken us, but not impact the bad guys."
See also
In Spanish: Susan Landau para niños
