“The cybersecurity industry describes its work in terms of “cyber security architectures,” “data silos,” “software fortresses,” or “castle-and-moat security models.” These architectural references should not be taken at face value; they are employed as a discursive strategy to build trust by transferring the “aura” of architectural robustness to entities such as software or hardware solutions. This echoes the long history of fortification architecture, which has always represented a built compromise between the openness necessary for commerce and the enclosure required for rulers to secure a territory’s sovereignty. The negotiation and materialization of such compromises has been a site of constant political contestation, shaping the distribution of power and authority.”

– Florian Hoof

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