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.
What if low trust was not a given? Or, said another way: what if we had the power to improve trust in government – what would that world look like?
“One in three Americans report being personally affected by extreme weather in just the past two years – illustrating that extreme weather has become extremely common,” said Dr. Hannah Safford.
Datasets and variables that do not align with Administration priorities, or might reflect poorly on Administration policy impacts, seem to be especially in the cross-hairs.
One month of a government shutdown is in the books, but how many more months will (or can) it go? Congress is paralyzed, but there are a few spasms of activity around healthcare and the prospects of a continuing resolution to punt this fight out until January or later.