The nation’s longest federal government shutdown continues, along with the debate on the issue that triggered it: a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. While every serious voice agrees on the importance of secure borders, what constitutes…
Category: Homeland Security
Better Government Cyber Security: don’t hold your breath
It is one thing to plan, something else entirely to turn it into reality: The DHS plans to collocate private-sector employees from the communications and IT industries with government workers at the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) facility here,…
Another Fine DHS Mess
Fans of Heartbreak Ridge will recall the pop-culture story of communications interoperability problems the military faced (in the middle of a battle you don’t want to be calling collect for fire support). After-action reports from 9/11 reminded us of the…
New Intel Sharing Paper
Money quote from the Author’s Note: The unavoidable conclusion is that the U.S. government cannot continue to allow a collecting agency to make unilateral originator control determinations regarding the intelligence it collects. … I hope to explain why they are…
What Year is This?
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here . . . The Homeland Security Department finally named an assistant secretary for cybersecurity last year, and the Senate ratified the first international treaty on cybercrime. The Computer Security Industry Alliance had…
Main St. Fallujah
This story from LGF and this bit by Lind seems to suggest that maybe Fallujah in your home town might not be that far off. I suggested as much in both written and verbal formats, though like Lind I was…
Grateful for the Unserious
I’m grateful for – among other things – the fact that I can spend five days off-line and not get the shakes; to know that life goes on and pleasantly so even if the EMP device goes off is awfully…
The All Seeing Eye II
The new U.S. intelligence czar is developing a computer system capable of data-mining huge amounts of information about everyday events to discern patterns that look like terrorist planning. The technology is reminiscent of the axed Total Information Awareness program. Civil…
Nearly five years after 9/11,
Nearly five years after 9/11, reports show the federal government has made limited progress on sharing terrorism information because of uncertainty about what to share, and how to do so without infringing on civil liberties. States are filling in some…
HLS Serious or Not Serious XVII
You could be on a secret government database or watch list for simply taking a picture on an airplane. Some federal air marshals say they’re reporting your actions to meet a quota, even though some top officials deny it. The…