As data storage craze continues unabated, DHS Privacy Office gets in on the act

WASHINGTON — If you think the Department of Homeland Security has violated your privacy, you can file a complaint. But be aware: Filing a privacy complaint requires that you submit your personal information to one more government system of records, where the data will remain on file for up to seven years. In the post-Sept. 11 world, the federal government underwent a major overhaul of its national security apparatus, perhaps most visibly manifest in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. With broad new powers in the areas of surveillance and data acquisition, DHS included a Privacy Office in order to “protect the privacy of all individuals.” In addition to providing expertise on privacy law and input on privacy [...]

Share this via

DHS network faces efficiency concerns

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland’s Security’s primary method for sharing sensitive but unclassified data was hacked multiple times last year and was criticized by federal investigators in previous years for inefficiency. In response, “the department took several measures to increase security, including a software upgrade that included two factor authentications for greater security,” said Chris Augsburger, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. “We continue to upgrade and maintain our systems.” The network is available to local, state and national officials to share information, particularly to coordinate emergency response. The system allows users to access chat capabilities, document archives and bulletin boards. But Mike German of the ACLU said new capabilities of the system and new streams of [...]

Share this via

Anti-terrorism program still not fully functional

WASHINGTON — A Homeland Security Department anti-terrorism program to track foreign travelers entering the U.S. is still not fully functioning although it was mandated to start about seven years ago, according to a government report. The U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program – or US-VISIT – uses biometric data to identify and process foreign travelers when they enter the United States and has a fully functioning strategy for entering visitors in about 300 air, land and sea ports around the nation. The departing visitors’ strategy, however, is lacking both in the reliability of its schedules and in its overall integration of those schedules, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative agency for Congress.  Challenges in how the [...]

Share this via

Aviation officials talk about pros and cons of Secure Flight

WASHINGTON – Last year, the Transportation Security Administration implemented a new program called Secure Flight to strengthen airport security by collecting passengers’ personal information to match against watch lists. But some privacy and aviation experts suggest the program isn’t an effective anti-terrorism practice and could raise privacy concerns. TSA official Jonella Culmer said that “ensuring individuals’ privacy is a cornerstone of Secure Flight” and that the administration has “developed a comprehensive privacy plan to incorporate privacy laws and practices into all areas of the Secure Flight program.” “TSA will collect the minimum amount of personal information necessary to conduct effective watch-list matching,” she said. The information collected from air travelers through the airlines includes names, gender and dates of birth. [...]

Share this via

Fate of program could threaten American privacy, national security

As Congress considers the fate of the Registered Traveler program privacy advocacy and security firms are arguing over whether the private sector is capable of running a safe national security operation to speed airport security for registered passengers.

Share this via

Avoiding information misuse in an age of interagency data sharing

WASHINGTON — In 2007, federal agent Benjamin Robinson was indicted for unlawfully accessing a protected Homeland Security database 163 times to track the travel patterns of his ex-girlfriend. One month later, another federal agent, Cory Voorhis, was charged with handing over classified law enforcement information to a political candidate running for office. In the years since, federal agent Rafael Pacheco was accused of selling access to information in a federal database in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes — followed by agent Natan Ben-Shabat, who used a government system to obtain personal information about an individual he was suing in civil court. Though regionally dispersed and driven by different motives, all four indicted individuals share one thing in common: [...]

Share this via

Next Page »