Threat assessment program aimed at information gathering | 01.12.2006 | 04:46:33 | Views: 4516 | ID: January 12 '06: The Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration have issued a series of new programs and security initiatives in the last several months which are designed to help personal and private information stay secure and at the same time allowing the government to be able to access to critical information to help in background checks and also to allow the government to keep up with the pace of technological advance, a department release read. Using and creating more close to three dozen initiatives, plans, updates and cooperative efforts, DHS' goal is to allow for its subsidiary federal agencies to get access to and protect personal information. Under the E-Government Act of 2002, the federal government is given the ability to assess "advances [in technology which] also have important ramifications for the protection of personal information contained in government records and systems," a departmental release read. After the government addresses developments, threats and advances in technology, it releases the findings in a Privacy Impact Assessment. These PIA's allow DHS to understand technological and informational trends and subsequently acts accordingly. One such PIA result is the Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing Screening Gateway, a program designed by the Transportation Security Administration. Under the TTACSG, the government can access personal information to help perform background and security checks, Government Computer News reported. Additionally, the Government Security News reported that the system will be used "to perform security threat assessments of thousands of people seeking Transportation Worker Identification Credential cards, truck drivers seeking hazardous material endorsements on their commercial licenses, and frequent airline passengers who hope to speed their way through airport screening procedures."
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