There are people behind every system. People who write code, manage systems, investigate reports, make mistakes, implement policies, and experience consequences. Information security without humanity quickly becomes harsh, procedural and blind to the reality in which technology is used.
Humanity and respect mean that safety is not organized across people, but with people. Users are not a difficult factor in an otherwise perfect architecture. They are part of the system. A measure that structurally frustrates people, is unclear or is only understood by specialists, leads to detours and a false sense of security.
Respect starts with language. Security is often complicated, but that is no reason to exclude people with jargon. Good explanation increases autonomy. Anyone who understands why a measure exists is better able to cooperate, ask critical questions and take responsibility. This applies to drivers as well as to users.
Humanity also means that digital security requires social security. The short PDF excerpt from Foundations of Information Security highlights psychological safety: can people report errors, ask for help, and discuss difficult issues without humiliation or punishment? That is not a soft subject besides security. It determines whether signals are surfaced in time.
The better Fundamenten version makes this even clearer: human behavior is not the weak link that you organize away. With insufficient training, people can be vulnerable, but with good training, clear roles and a safe culture, people become the strongest link. Man does not stand next to regulation, organization and technology, but walks through all three.
An organization in which people are afraid to report errors learns too late. A team in which dissent is punished lacks warnings. A project in which status is more important than honesty produces risks that disappear in reports but persist in practice. Respect is therefore a safety measure.
For LibreKAT, humanity means that we work together inclusively and carefully. Different disciplines, experience levels and perspectives are needed to properly understand digital systems. A manager sees different risks than a lawyer. A user notices different problems than an architect. A director has different responsibilities than a researcher. Respect makes those differences productive.
Humanity also requires proportionality. Not every incident is negligence. Not every mistake is culpable. Not every user looking for a detour is unwilling. Often the system is too complicated, training is lacking or the workload is higher than the design can handle. Anyone who only corrects individuals misses the structural cause.
That does not take away responsibility. Based on respect, it must be clear what is expected of people and what boundaries apply. Humanity is not optional, but a way to make responsibility feasible.
This also includes a mandate. A CISO or security officer cannot be made responsible for outcomes without authority, budget and access to management. Respect for people in security roles means that organizations do not use them as scapegoats, but position them where their signals can have an impact.
LibreKAT chooses a community in which people can safely contribute, learn and contradict. Because digital resilience is not only created by better software. It is created by people who take each other seriously and dare to look together at what needs to be improved.