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... Read more →

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,”... Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →

Fate of program could threaten American privacy, national security

WASHINGTON—For frequent flyers, Registered Traveler may have sounded like the dream deal. In return for submitting biometric and other personal information for pre-screening by the Department of Homeland Security, air travelers could pay a fee to a private security firm to bypass long airport security lines with a simple fingerprint or iris scan. But just three years after it started, the privately... Read more →

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... Read more →