Overview - The Stupid Security Awards 21/08/2006

The Stupid Security Awards is an open competition run by Privacy International to discover the world’s most pointless, intrusive, annoying and self-serving security measures. The awards aim to highlight the absurdities of the security industry. The awards were first staged in 2003 and attracted over 5,000 nominations from members of the public from around the world.

The competition is judged by an international panel of well-known security experts, public policy specialists, privacy advocates and journalists. Together they decide on the following award categories:

• Most Egregiously Stupid Award
• Most Inexplicably Stupid Award
• Most Annoyingly Stupid Award
• Most Flagrantly Intrusive Award
• Most Stupidly Counter Productive Award

Unworkable security practices and illusory security measures do nothing to help issues of real public concern. They only hinder the public, intrude unnecessary into our private lives and often reduce us to the status of cattle.

Press Releases

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Winners Announced 08/04/2003
Privacy International today announced the results of its competition to find the worlds most pointless, intrusive and egregious security measures. The competition, launched in February, attracted almost 5,000 nominations from 35 countries.

Campaigns

The Stupid Security Competition 2003 08/04/2003
We've all been there. Standing for ages in a security line at an inconsequential office building only to be given a security pass that a high school student could have faked. Or being forced to take off our shoes at an airport that can't even screen its luggage. The sensitive and sensible folk at Privacy International have endured enough of this treatment. So we are running an international competition to discover the world's most pointless, intrusive, stupid and self-serving security measures.

Archived News

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Intrusive Measures Nominees 28/03/2003
Nominees, as selected by the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Inexplicable Measure Nominees 28/03/2003
Nominees, as nominated by the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Egregious Security Measures Nominees 28/03/2003
Nominees, nominated by the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Counter Productive Security Nominees 28/03/2003
More nominations from the public.

Stupid Security Contest 2003 Most Intrusive Security Measures Nominees 28/03/2003
A variety of nominations.