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U.S. Will Keep Firms’ Infrastructure Data Secret
The U.S. Homeland Security Department will begin implementing new rules tomorrow intended to encourage private industries that comprise the national infrastructure to share information about their possible vulnerability to terrorist attack, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Dec. 18, 2003). Beginning tomorrow, companies from such critical infrastructure sectors as the chemical, railroad and utility industries will be able to submit terrorist vulnerability assessments to the federal government with the assurances that their data will not be publicly disclosed, according to the Post. “The government agreed that ‘we’ll keep secret this information you give to Homeland Security, and we won’t do anything with it,’” except to use it for efforts to combat potential terrorism, said Sean Moulton, a senior policy analyst with OMB Watch, a nonprofit group that opposes government secrecy. Moulton expressed concern, however, that companies would use the rules to evade federal regulations. “It’s naive to think we won’t have bad actors in the industry” misusing the protections, he said. Robert Liscouski, the department’s chief of infrastructure protection, said that companies can be charged with felonies if they mislead the department into believing that the information they provide is not related to any enforcement matters within other agencies. U.S. officials found soon after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that many industries were reluctant to share information because of concern that the data could be unearthed by outsiders using the Freedom of Information Act. U.S. officials have no power under the Homeland Security Act to compel companies to provide data about security gaps, so any corporate cooperation would be voluntary. Liscouski said that the motivation for companies providing information is “doing public good in protecting the country.” Other officials added that it is critical that the government synchronize anti-terrorism efforts with private industry (John Mintz, Washington Post, Feb. 19).
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