Visionary Looks Ahead - Thomas M. Cooley Law School

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feature“A law school education, whether you’re going to bepracticing law or not, is very beneficial. It teaches youto ignore the extraneous items and focus on the thingsthat you need.”eDwARD GiBSOnMany industry insiders questioned Microsoft’s commitment tomaking its applications and operating systems as safe as possible,thus hindering the efforts of these outside groups. Gibson admitsthat he even questioned that commitment before joining thecompany. But he said that he saw, first-hand, the efforts ofthe company to improve its systems and coding processes inorder to protect users.“Extreme changes were needed worldwide,” said Gibson.“I saw it with my own eyes; the commitment of the organizationwas there.”And great change occurred. “It was an inspiration,” saidGibson. “Microsoft was an incredibly important experience.”While Gibson believes that much was accomplished during histime at Microsoft, he also believes the so-called smart phonesof today have severely hindered that safety.“You never receive updates for your smart phone. The marginsin that industry simply aren’t big enough for them (the phonecompanies) to keep up with it,” said Gibson. “There are peopleout there who take advantage of the lack of updates and gainaccess to information that you wouldn’t want out there. It is asensitive area.”A PASSION FOR PROTECTIONA frequent lecturer on cyber-related issues, Gibson’s realpassion lies in one of the FBI Cyber Unit’s top priorities,protecting children online.He is quick to mention that not one of the major social medianetworks has default settings that make an account private.So, unless an individual specifically sets his/her account to private,anyone can see the information posted. This doesn’t mention thefact that a computer’s webcam can be hacked in a matter ofminutes, allowing others to see whatever is in view wheneverthey want.“It is scary,” said Gibson. “Parents need to educate themselvesand then make sure they talk with their kids. Predators willtravel thousands of miles just to get at someone.”It isn’t just adults who make the world dangerous for children.It is just as likely to be other children.“Even the most computer illiterate people can spoof (disguise)their phone numbers based on only a few minutes of researchon the Internet and send frightening text messages to childrenwithout being able to be traced,” said Gibson when discussingcyber-bullying. “’I hate you.’ ‘You’re ugly.’ ‘I’m going to kill you.’These are all things that some children will say to others, but thekid being bullied has no idea who is saying it and if it is a legitimatethreat.”THE VALUE OF A LEGAL EDUCATIONGibson’s career has taken a long, winding path from Cooleystudent and corporate counsel to FBI agent, Microsoft executiveand, now, a role at PricewaterhouseCoopers where hedirects preventative, remediation, and response efforts onbehalf of companies.But he insists that his training at Cooley has helped him everystep of the way.“I couldn’t have been better prepared,” said Gibson whendiscussing his Cooley education. “I stepped right into my roleat Amway Corporation (where he served in the office of thegeneral counsel) and could do the job. It was only after mytwin brother went to another law school that I realized howexceptional Cooley’s education truly was.16 BENCHMARK FALL 2010 COOLEY.EDU
feature“Cooley continues to offer its students the skills thatthey need to succeed in today’s environment,” saidGibson. “I see the school offering courses in areas ofcyber subject matters and I am pleased.”eDwARD GiBSOn“A law school education, whether you’re going to be practicinglaw or not, is very beneficial,” Gibson added. “It teaches youto ignore the extraneous items and focus on the things thatyou need.”He is just as impressed with what he sees today from the school.“Cooley continues to offer its students the skills that theyneed to succeed in today’s environment,” said Gibson. “I seethe school offering courses in areas of cyber subject mattersand I am pleased.”THE 30,000-FOOT VIEWAs a former FBI special agent, Gibson is expected to have adaredevil hobby and he doesn’t disappoint. His out-of-officethrill ride is skydiving. A jumper who prefers to indulge in hishobby four times a year in Spain, Gibson confesses that heisn’t able to do so that often.“I don’t get away very often, but when I do, it is somethingthat I enjoy, something that I need to stay on the edge,” saidGibson.Gibson tends to take a global view when discussing cyberrelatedmatters, always thinking of what could happen nextand how to protect those who need protecting. Perhaps thatis why Gibson likes the view from above, that of a skydiver,when not on the cyber scene.NAME:edward GibsonTITLE:Director of U.S. Forensics Technology SolutionsE-MAIL:ed.Gibson@us.pwc.comCOMPANY:PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), washington, D.C.FAMILY:Married (Christina), three sons (nate, John and Mike)HOMETOwN:Middleville, MichiganHOBBIES:Skydiving in SpainUNDERGRADUATE STUDIES:Grand Valley State University (1977)INDUSTRY ExPERT:During his nearly five years with Microsoft, Gibson presentedmore than 250 times on cyber-related issues around theworld. He became a sought-after speaker due to his ability tomake cyber-security interesting and personal.UNkNOwN FACT:Gibson frequently carpooled with then-classmate andcurrent U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak to Cooley’sLansing campus when they both attended the lawschool. Gibson is known to Stupak as “ed the Fed.”BENCHMARK FALL 2010 COOLEY.EDU17
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