| The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is often criticized for its privacy policies and practices, as it handles a vast amount of sensitive personal information. However, it is important to note how the DHS does attempt to protect personal privacy, in policy as well as practice. In addition to compliance with federal privacy legislation, such as the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and the Privacy Act, the Department consults with privacy professionals in order to evaluate new or potential programs, systems, technologies and certain rule-making procedures in order to appropriately handle personal information. This article takes a look at exactly how the Department of Homeland Security approaches privacy [...] In May 2006, an Executive Order of the President created the Identity Theft Task Force. The Task Force includes members of several Federal agencies and departments. In September 2006, the Task Force released a number of recommendations ahead of the May 2007 document “Combatting ID Theft: Strategic Plan” in order to help agencies get a head start on the growing problem of identity [...] In 2007, the Department of Homeland Security an Office of Management and Budget, along with the Presidential Identity Theft Task Force, investigated information privacy and security practices in the United States Government. They developed a report called the Common Risks Impeding the Adequate Protection of Government Information (pdf)which included a list of ten common mistakes made by U.S. departments and agencies and provided recommendations for new practices to be implement to eliminate and reduce security [...] Most people think of the proliferation of cameras in London, and last year’s coverage of similar work in New York City, as a big city affair. Cops in North Carolina want in on the action too, submitting a grant for systems that will record license plate numbers and compare them to a national criminal database. Privacy rights advocates are worried the cities aren’t setting clear usage guidelines or retention policies that may result in fishing expeditions against law abiding [...] We had a chance to talk with Mr. Steven Elefant, Executive Director of end-to-end security at Heartland Payment Systems shortly after the security breach reportedly affecting hundreds of millions of credit card transactions. While the complete interview is available in the forums, we include a few excerpts in the articles section of the [...] Missouri state lawmakers overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to pass House Bill 361, effectively rejecting the provisions for compliance with the 2005 REAL ID Act. If the Governor does sign the legislation, the Show Me State will have a bit of cleanup to do, including what to do with the data already collected after pilot program, and what happens to the $22M in DHS [...] The proposed PASS ID act would repeal or amend several points of concern surrounding REAL ID. Will PASS ID do enough in protecting privacy to persuade state acceptance, or will it sacrifice interoperability, thereby crippling the US War on [...] Governments around the world see RFID as a method to better authenticate individuals at airports and border crossings, scanning PASS cards remotely without drivers even needing to present their IDs. The REAL ID Act requires US enhanced drivers licenses by 2017. Will the technology be ready in time for the first cards without jeopardizing citizen’s [...] | |
