{"id":206630,"date":"2025-10-07T09:46:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/206630\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:46:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:46:13","slug":"opinion-unitary-executive-theory-is-a-bad-idea-for-computers-a-worse-one-for-presidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/206630\/","title":{"rendered":"OPINION: Unitary Executive Theory is a bad idea for computers, a worse one for presidents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cybersecurity<\/a> incidents<\/a> have been in the news lately.<\/p>\n

Due to the disruptive and destructive nature of such incidents, the focus for everyone who works in information technology \u2014 myself included \u2014 is ensuring such an incident doesn\u2019t happen again, or at least ensuring the next incident is less disruptive. The best way to do so, as codified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is to always assume that at least one user or one device on your network should not be trusted and to adopt a zero trust architecture<\/a> in response.<\/p>\n

In an environment built according to a zero trust architecture, user accounts and devices are carefully authorized and monitored. An employee may be able to connect to a system with one account authenticated to one device in one location, but may not be permitted to connect to the same system using the same account from a different device or a different location \u2014 this sort of account, device and location segregation is common when discussing privileged access<\/a> to sensitive systems, for example.<\/p>\n

Privileged access, such as the sort used by me and my colleagues in our information technology (IT) work, should also be further controlled through the use of privileged access management<\/a> tools that ensure each privileged user has just enough access just in time<\/a>. Instead of using one account that perpetually retains administrative access over multiple systems, administrators operating in a zero trust architecture must request just enough access to perform specific privileged tasks. If they receive authorization, they only retain it just long enough to perform those tasks. Once the work is complete, authorization is revoked until the next request is submitted.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right \u2014 in a zero trust environment, privileged accounts operate with checks and balances, a strictly defined separation of powers and time-limited terms that automatically expire unless they are renewed by others. Sounds familiar, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

All of this is a far cry from the computing environment I grew up with. When I was a child, early computers could only run one unitary executable program at a time. That program \u2014 and the elementary school student running it \u2014 was given total control over the machine. When personal computers started to multitask \u2014 to execute more than one piece of software at a time \u2014 each running process could and often did overwrite the memory and data used by other running processes, causing frustrating errors such as the dreaded \u201cblue screen of death<\/a>\u201d as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I was in college, any user of a computer could install any software they wanted \u2014 which explains why many family computers become virus-riddled disasters after children downloaded malware instead of music files with file sharing services such as LimeWire<\/a>. Power fantasies<\/a> of the time, such as the Bastard Operator From Hell<\/a> and The IT Crowd<\/a>, conditioned future IT administrators to think of superuser<\/a> access as a potential sword of justice.<\/p>\n

For decades, home computer users and enterprise systems administrators were omnipotent digital despots. That absolute power corrupted data and systems absolutely.<\/p>\n

Who could have predicted that outcome, I wonder?<\/p>\n

One of the more curious aspects of working in information technology these days is watching my colleagues and I relearn well-worn lessons of the past the hard way, only at internet speeds. The principle of least privilege, for example, is nothing new \u2014 it\u2019s simply the same separation of powers John Locke<\/a> described in the 17th century, only applied to information networks.<\/p>\n

This brings me to Unitary Executive Theory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Article II<\/a> of the Constitution starts with, \u201cThe executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.\u201d According to proponents of Unitary Executive Theory \u2014 such as those serving in President Donald Trump\u2019s cabinet<\/a> \u2014 that first sentence grants the president the right to end mail voting<\/a> nationwide, seize a 5 percent stake<\/a> in a lithium mine in Nevada in exchange for a loan that didn\u2019t previously require an ownership stake, arbitrarily add<\/a> and remove<\/a> Nevada from a list of \u201csanctuary states\u201d with no explanation, investigate Nevada\u2019s flagship<\/a> universities<\/a>, and appoint a partisan hack<\/a> as Nevada\u2019s acting U.S. attorney without the constitutionally required<\/a> advice and consent of the Senate.<\/p>\n

According to proponents of Unitary Executive Theory, Trump can refuse to assent to laws \u2014 such as the Hatch Act<\/a>, which prohibits federal officials from engaging in partisan political messaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He can refuse to pass laws for the accommodation of large districts of people \u2014 such as when he cut funding for multiple<\/a> projects<\/a> in Democrat-controlled cities and states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He can obstruct the laws for naturalization of foreigners<\/a> \u2014 and send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to disappear family members without a trace<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He can obstruct the administration of justice by refusing to assent to laws<\/a> \u2014 and by ordering his officials to punish his political enemies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He can keep among us, in times of peace, standing armies<\/a> without the consent<\/a> of state legislatures.<\/p>\n

He can cut off our trade<\/a> with all parts of the world and impose taxes<\/a> without our consent \u2014 while he also bails out<\/a> overseas allies as the government is ordered to stop providing Americans vital services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He can transport us overseas<\/a> to be tried for pretended offenses.<\/p>\n

He can declare us out of his protection and wage war against us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The president can, in short, run through the entire list of grievances our Founding Fathers fought against in the Declaration of Independence<\/a> \u2014 and eviscerate<\/a> the Bill of Rights our Founding Fathers authored as well while he\u2019s at it. He has an Article II, which gives him the right to do whatever he wants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all in the art of the deal of wielding executive power.<\/p>\n

It seems unlikely that the Founding Fathers would write a constitution that would grant anyone the very same absolute power they fought against. For example, in Federalist 77<\/a>, Alexander Hamilton argued that under the Constitution he helped write, consent of the Senate wasn\u2019t just required for presidents to appoint federal officials \u2014 it was also necessary for presidents to remove them. Taking the \u201cunprecedented opportunity\u201d of a government shutdown to fire or lay off federal workers from \u201cmany Democrat Agencies,\u201d as Trump has threatened to do<\/a>, would compromise the \u201csteady administration\u201d that Hamilton and his colleagues claimed the Constitution was designed to deliver.<\/p>\n

Even if they did, however \u2014 even if the Founding Fathers truly believed the role of the president shouldn\u2019t be limited to executing the law as written and funded by Congress but should expand to the execution of any whim he has the power to post about on social media \u2014 there\u2019s no reason any of us should accept that today. With the benefit of 236 years of hindsight, there\u2019s no reason to grant any elected official more than zero trust in the execution of their duties. By now we should all understand the perils of absolute power and the importance of minimizing the privileges \u2014 and minimizing how long anyone holds them \u2014 of those who claim to serve on our behalf.<\/p>\n

David Colborne ran for public office twice. He is now an IT manager, the father of two sons, and a recurring opinion columnist for The Nevada Independent. You can follow him on Mastodon @[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>, on Bluesky @davidcolborne.bsky.social<\/a>, on Threads @davidcolbornenv<\/a> or email him at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. You can also message him on Signal at dcolborne.64<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cybersecurity incidents have been in the news lately. Due to the disruptive and destructive nature of such incidents,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206631,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[11750,118664,118668,12631,28,40985,3721,16145,118666,118667,118660,118661,118665,25268,191,3071,32850,54904,296,2788,118659,25273,118657,23095,28267,12177,174,48557,898,9746,5404,27534,89146,3590,40374,61180,514,19870,118662,7270,118663,2603,37327,43555,35363,74,49344,118669,118658],"class_list":["post-206630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-computing","tag-anonymous","tag-binary-code","tag-burglar","tag-burglary","tag-business","tag-coding","tag-communication","tag-computer","tag-computer-bug","tag-computer-hacker","tag-computer-language","tag-computer-network","tag-computer-programmer","tag-computer-software","tag-computing","tag-crime","tag-criminal","tag-danger","tag-dark","tag-data","tag-digital-display","tag-digitally-generated-image","tag-firewall","tag-hack","tag-html","tag-identity","tag-internet","tag-java","tag-laptop","tag-law","tag-network-security","tag-order","tag-password","tag-people","tag-phishing","tag-police-force","tag-privacy","tag-protection","tag-script","tag-security","tag-security-system","tag-social-issues","tag-spy","tag-stealing","tag-surveillance","tag-technology","tag-thief","tag-typing","tag-white-collar-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}