Al Gore Bans Press at RSA

SAN FRANCISCO -- RSA Conference 2008 -- Al Gore is speaking to IT security professionals here today, and we'd love to tell you what he's saying. Unfortunately, we can't -- we're not allowed in.

Gore has banned all members of the press from his comments, which are scheduled to address the issue of implementing green, eco-friendly technologies. Maybe if we were in there, we could tell you what that has to do with IT security.

Gore, who reportedly receives $100,000 for personal appearances, apparently has a standard contract that bans the fourth estate from all of his speeches. No one seems to know why, and we can't ask -- on account of we're out here, and he's in there.

It's been a week of denial here in the city that once hosted the Summer of Love. Two days ago, onlookers were denied the privilege of seeing the 2008 Olympic torch, which was rerouted to San Francisco International Airport in order to avoid protesters against China's human rights record who wanted to put the flame out.

And all week, that same airport has been littered with former American Airlines passengers who were denied a ride home, thanks to some safety concerns regarding one of the airline's most commonly used planes.

Maybe it's fitting, then, that we of the trade press finish the security industry's biggest week with another denial. Does Al Gore feel sorry for us? We don't know. We can't get in to find out.

— Tim Wilson, Site Editor, Dark Reading