ID theft directives still not enforced by federal agencies
- TAGS:agencies, fiasco, identity theft, VA
- IT TOPICS:Security
The United States Government Accountability Office examined 24 federal agencies and has determined that the agencies are still not protecting citizens from identity theft. This doesn't really surprise me, but it does sadden me. But my strongest reaction is anger. It really irks me because the government came up with five federal recommendations to aid agencies in protecting personal information.
In the aftermath of the VA fiasco back in 2006 (where millions of names, SSNs and other data was stolen from a VA employee's home) the White House Office of Management and Budget put out those recommendations.
Believe it or not only two agencies met all five directives - the Treasury and Transportation departments. Two others didn't meet any of the recommendations and they should be ashamed. They are the Small Business Administration and the National Science Foundation. Other agencies fell somewhere in between. (For details read here)
Look, I have no doubt putting directives like this in place is a dicey task - but the bottom line should be non-negotiable - all agencies must comply. Unlike in the private sector, our citizens don't have the luxury of shopping for different places to carry out their business when they're dealing with federal agencies. At the very least, they shouldn't have to worry about identity theft.
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