4-eyes Principle

Erçin Dedeoğlu
5 min readNov 30, 2022

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The 4-eyes Principle is a security principle that aims to improve the quality of the information in an organization by requiring that all critical decisions be made with two people involved. The 4-eyes Principle is also known as the “second set of eyes” or “dual control.”

The 4-eyes Principle is a security principle.

It’s used to ensure that one person cannot make decisions that harm other people’s interests. It can be applied to user accounts as well as authorization processes.

Let’s say you have two users: Alice and Bob. They are both members of group X, but they don’t know each other personally (and don’t even want to). According to the 4-eyes Principle, if Alice creates an account for group Y and grants herself access rights to it, her friend Bob has no access rights at all! The same applies when she grants herself privileges on a server where he works with his projects — he’ll never see these new features because Alice didn’t invite him over for coffee.

The 4-eyes Principle can be used in different contexts and for other reasons.

The most common use is to ensure that a single person cannot make decisions to harm the interest of other people or to prevent fraud and corruption.

The 4-eyes Principle was made famous by the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) in 1997

The 4-eyes Principle is a security principle, which is a common practice to help ensure information is secure. The 4-eyes Principle can be used in different contexts and for various reasons, but the main idea is that you should always double-check your work before sending it out.

The 4-eyes Principle was made famous by the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) in 1997. This law requires companies to follow specific guidelines when dealing with private information from customers or employees, so this law put forth a new way of thinking about how sensitive data needs to be handled at work.

Although this might seem common sense today, back then (and still today!), not everyone followed these rules and regulations very well! For example: say you’re an HR worker who wants someone else on your team to fill out some forms for their new employee; maybe they don’t want anyone else editing their work. Or perhaps someone else could send emails as if they’re from another person within your organization without anyone noticing until later down the line? Either way would violate rules around privacy rights and confidentiality precautions taken by businesses across Europe during those years — so remember: always check twice before hitting send!

In general, the 4-eyes Principle is used to ensure that a single person cannot make decisions to harm the interest of other people.

The 4-eyes Principle is a concept used to ensure that a single person cannot make decisions to harm the interest of other people. It can be applied to a user account or an authorization process.

The 4-eyes Principle is used to avoid fraud and corruption. Generally, it works by having at least two people review and agree on any changes before they are implemented.

The 4-eyes Principle is used to avoid fraud and corruption.

The 4-eyes Principle manages the process of reviewing content so that another person can check it before approval. This method has been used since 1927 when Bell Labs technicians devised it to prevent errors and omissions in the documentation that might have been overlooked during the editing process. The 4-eyes Principle ensures that at least two people review each piece of work before being approved for publication or distribution, making it an excellent tool for preventing mistakes from slipping through the cracks unnoticed.

The 4-eyes Principle can be applied to a user account or an authorization process.

The 4-eyes Principle is a security practice that requires two or more people to review a document before it can be sent out. This means that each person who reads the paper will have their copy and mark any changes they make in red ink (also known as “redlining”). Then, when all of these modifications are complete, you’ll have one unified version of your document that everyone agrees on.

This security principle has many names, such as two-person control, the second set of eyes, four eyes, or dual control.

The Principle is widely used in the banking industry as “two-person control.” It involves a two-step verification process that requires at least two people to complete a transaction. This can take the form of dual signatures on checks or requiring two different forms of identification when signing up for a service.

The four eyes principle has also been adopted in other industries, such as accounting and HR departments. In these cases, appoint someone else to review transactions and ensure they are legitimate before any changes are made, such as approving changes in payroll or benefits plans.

In some contexts, dual control forms a foundation of security best practices.

Dual control is a security best practice that involves two people or processes performing the same task. The goal is to avoid fraud and corruption by having someone else review your work, prevent a single person from making decisions that harm others’ interests, or ensure dangerous equipment cannot be used without proper supervision.

Dual control may be applied more broadly than just situations involving dual passwords; for example, you might have two people sign off on an expense report before authorizing payment for it. Another example of dual control would be having someone present when prisoners are transported between locations — one person operates the vehicle. Still, another is in charge of overseeing them to ensure their safety.

Wind-up

So, to recap: The 4-eyes Principle ensures that you have double-checked your work before submitting it. It’s a simple but essential way to avoid errors and keep yourself organized. In addition, having others read over your work before sending it out can help prevent mistakes in the first place!

My other publications: https://ercindedeoglu.github.io/

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Erçin Dedeoğlu
Erçin Dedeoğlu

Written by Erçin Dedeoğlu

I am passionate about solving problems and developing products to make people’s lives easier.

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