Protecting the Cheddar illuminates an important vulnerability in many companies and organizations across the globe: over-networked systems. Extreme digitization of sensitive information in governmental databases, hospital records, and even social media can be easily hacked by malicious actors. For instance, personal data leaks from social media platforms such as Twitter accounted for 41% of compromised records in 2021 (AtlasVPN). This suggests that sensitive information concerning one’s identity, history, and any other information that one does not consent to making publicly available should be carefully guarded. Additionally, dangerous information that could be disastrous if exploited– such as instructions on how to make a nuclear weapon– needs to be highly classified. I would even go as far as to argue that this information should be kept offline, in a highly secure space. This way, it would be more difficult to leak.
The woman who spoke up in the case study, Sara Wilund, demonstrated bravery in spite of status. She was not afraid to challenge the assumptions many executives of this company made; Whether that be social– “She is just a woman! A mere employee!”– or technical– “Digitizing means progress. Digitizing means success.” Had she not spoken up, or had the CEO ignored her, drastic consequences would have incurred. It means that the company would not have hired a professional consultant. It means more security breaches, leading to information leakage or worse, a public health crisis. Sara’s courage to speak her mind despite its implications towards her career had averted the company from a potential failure.
Relating this back to my own project, I think that Protecting the Cheddar encourages us all to be braver in our professional and personal lives. If I don’t agree with my team’s collective actions, I need to speak up. Oftentimes, we avoid doing so to preserve others’ opinions of ourselves. But if the project’s success is riding on each one of our shoulders, speaking up is necessary to drive it forward.
