Will Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) introduce a bill to ban e-mail and phone software next?
I was reading an article in the Washington Post that reported that online data-sharing technology has led to the disclosure of sensitive government and personal information. According to the article some of the sensitive information included:
- FBI surveillance photos of a Mafia hit man
- Lists of people with HIV and social security numbers
- Motorcade routes and safe-house locations for then-first lady Laura Bush
- Names of people in government’s witness protection program
- Records with full psychological assessments of patients
In response to the news, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Edolphus Towns, said he would introduce a bill to ban such software from all government and contractor computers and networks.
Is this the right response by Rep. Edolphus Towns?
Do we need more bills and regulations?
Do we need bills to ban software? (which is almost impossible to do)
What about other software that has led to sensitive information breaches? For example:
- Since e-mails have led to the disclosure of sensitive information, will Committees be introducing a bill to ban e-mail software?
- Since phone calls (social engineering) have led to the disclosure of sensitive information, will Committees be introducing a bill to ban phone software?
Are our government leaders missing the point and placing too much emphasis, too much blame and too much dependence on Technology (software and hardware) and not enough emphasis on the value and obligations of implementing individual level awareness and accountability of acceptable usage policies and procedures?
Lesson Learned and wake up call for all managers…if you do not start doing a better job with implementing situational awareness and accountability at the individual level, Congressmen may take steps to ban more and more software…then what??
