The Transportation Security Agency last week circulated a notice to Federal Air Marshals regarding protection of sensitive data (pdf). A copy was obtained by Secrecy News.
The notice focuses on Sensitive Security Information (SSI) and so-called Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
SSI is transportation security-related information that is exempt from disclosure.
Sensitive PII includes social security numbers, drivers license numbers and similar data.
The proliferation of new categories and new acronyms for restricting disclosure of information is not helpful, said P. Jeffrey Black, who is himself a Federal Air Marshal and a whistleblower.
“Employee personal identification information is protected under the Privacy Act. There is no reason to come up with yet another acronymed classification for something that is already protected by Act of Congress,” Mr. Black said in response to an inquiry from Secrecy News.
At a time when universities are already facing intense pressure to re-envision their role in the S&T ecosystem, we encourage NSF to ensure that the ambitious research acceleration remains compatible with their expertise.
FAS CEO Daniel Correa recently spoke with Adam Marblestone and Sam Rodriques, former FAS fellows who developed the idea for FROs and advocated for their use in a 2020 policy memo.
In a year when management issues like human capital, IT modernization, and improper payments have received greater attention from the public, examining this PMA tells us a lot about where the Administration’s policy is going to be focused through its last three years.
Congress must enact a Digital Public Infrastructure Act, a recognition that the government’s most fundamental responsibility in the digital era is to provide a solid, trustworthy foundation upon which people, businesses, and communities can build.