Susan Landau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Landau
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Landau in 2022
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| Born | 1954 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Fields | Engineering, Cyber Security; Cryptography |
Susan Landau (born 1954) is an American expert in mathematics, engineering, and computer security. She is a professor at Tufts University where she teaches about cybersecurity and policy. Before this, she worked at Google as a Senior Staff Privacy Analyst. She also spent time as a visiting scholar at Harvard University.
Susan Landau's Education and Early Career
Susan Landau went to Bronx Science, a special high school. She then studied mathematics at Princeton University, graduating in 1976. After that, she earned a master's degree from Cornell University in 1979. She continued her studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she received her Ph.D. in mathematics in 1983. Her Ph.D. work focused on how to solve certain math problems using special groups called Galois groups.
From 1999 to 2010, Susan Landau worked at Sun Microsystems. There, she focused on making the internet safer, which is called internet security.
Landau's Algorithm and Awards
In 1989, Susan Landau created an important algorithm. An algorithm is like a step-by-step recipe for solving a problem. Her algorithm helps figure out how to simplify certain complex math expressions. This is now known as Landau's algorithm.
Even when she was young, Susan showed great talent in science. In 1972, her project about numbers won a top spot in a science competition.
Susan Landau also cares a lot about helping other women in science. She helps run a group that supports women who are new to computer research. She also keeps a list of writings by women in computer science.
Because of her important work, Susan Landau has received many awards:
- In 2008, she won the Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award for her positive impact on society.
- Since 1999, she has been a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- In 2011, she became a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery.
- In 2012, her book Surveillance or Security? The Risks Posed by New Wiretapping Technologies won an award. This book talks about the dangers of new ways to listen in on communications.
- In 2015, Susan Landau was added to the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame. This is a special place for people who have made big contributions to keeping computer systems safe.
Susan Landau and the FBI-Apple Case
Susan Landau was involved in a big discussion between the FBI and Apple in 2015 and 2016. This was called the FBI–Apple encryption dispute. The FBI wanted Apple to create a way to unlock an iPhone used by a criminal.
Landau helped write a report called “Keys Under Doormats: Mandating Insecurity by Requiring Government Access to All Data and Communications.” This report explained why forcing companies to create "backdoors" (ways for the government to get into phones) would make everyone's data less safe. The government at the time, led by President Obama, used this report's ideas when they decided not to force Apple to unlock the phone.
Susan Landau explained that making iPhones less secure would not stop criminals. Instead, it would just make regular people less safe, while criminals would find other ways to communicate that the government couldn't access. She said that weakening phone security would "weaken us, but not impact the bad guys."
