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White House details ethics agreement with TSA nominee – GovExec
The White House on Tuesday described in detail the steps it is taking to ensure that President Obama’s choice to head the Transportation Security Administration does not have a conflict of interest related to his past business dealings.
White House: TSA nominee to avoid conflicts of interest – GovExec
President Obama’s pick to head the Transportation Security Administration will recuse himself for two years from handling any matter that involves his former company or contractors he worked with, a White House spokesman said Tuesday.
Funds for SBInet Reallocated to Alternate Technologies – HS Today
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she would cut off Recovery Act funding from the virtual fence initiative along the US southwest border, potentially signaling the final fate of the struggling program.
Former TSA worker indicted on tampering charges – NextGov
A former Transportation Security Administration analyst was indicted on Wednesday for tampering with databases used to track possible terrorists entering the United States, according to an IDG News Service report.
Feds consider going undercover on social networks | Politics and Law – CNET News
The next friend request you receive might come from the FBI. The Obama administration has considered sending federal police undercover on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter
High-Tech Tools Detect Weapons of Mass Destruction at L.A. Port Complex
On paper, it reads like a prop list for a high-budget futuristic action thriller: a $3 million high-tech screening ship, a radiation-detecting helicopter and a badge-carrying black Labrador retriever, who can sniff out chemical and biological weapons.
But this is no movie. At the Los Angeles-Long [...]
Contest to organize airport screeners heats up – Government Executive
The American Federation of Government Employees on Tuesday announced progress on its petition to hold a unionization election at the Transportation Security Administration. But the rival National Treasury Employees Union remains close behind AFGE in the race to represent airport screeners exclusively, according to its leader.
California Issues Telework Policy to Curb Cyber-Security Risks – Government Technology
To bolster security and create consistency in California’s IT infrastructure, the Office of the State Chief Information Officer (OCIO) issued a new policy Tuesday, March 2, that includes telework and remote access security standards as well as a compliance form that state agencies must submit by July 1.
Obama’s Nuclear Posture Review – NationalSecurity.org
As President Barack Obama prepares to release his Nuclear Option Review, many are wondering how different his strategy will be from the Bush administration’s and whether it will effectively deter proliferation and keep the U.S. and our allies safe.
Kerry Frustrated By Pace Of Smart Grid – Tech Daily Dose
Senate Commerce Communications, Technology, and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., expressed “frustration” Tuesday that the Obama administration has not moved fast enough to build out the country’s electricity infrastructure.
U.K. shipper complies with “known shipper” requirements by installing Avigilon surveillance system – Homeland Security Newswire
By August this year, 100 percent of cargo on U.S. passenger planes will have to be screened. Most of the screening — and the safe warehousing and delivery of the screened goods — will be handled not by the government, but by private shippers who, if they comply with government regulations, will be certified as “safe shipper” (or “known shippers,” as they are called in some countries). The goods delivered to airports by these safe shippers will be subjected to less rigorous — and, hence, speedier — security checks.
Burning Question: Will full-body scanners get TSA in hot water with the Pope? – Government Executive
The Associated Press has reported that the first of 150 full-body scanners slated to be deployed by the Transportation Security Administration at U.S. airports will be installed next week. The scanners have attracted their share of criticism on privacy grounds–and the latest has come from the Vatican.
Will the Pentagon Finally Get Web 2.0? – Wired
On Friday, the Pentagon announced a new social media policy that will the troops to use Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, within limits. True to form, Pentagon social media czar Price Floyd announced the policy change in a Twitter update.
U.S. to Reveal Rules on Internet Security – NY Times
The Obama administration on Tuesday plans to declassify portions of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, created during the Bush administration as a secret effort to harness the nation’s defensive and offensive strategies for protecting commercial and government networks.
E-Verify finds only one out of two illegals – Homeland Security Newswire
The U.S. government’s E-Verify program to detect illegal workers has an “inaccuracy rate” of about 54 percent, outside consultants have determined. An evaluation of E-Verify carried out for DHS by a Maryland firm found the program allows “many unauthorized workers” to obtain employment, the Wall Street Journal’s Louise Radofsky and Miriam Jordan writee that reported Thursday.
Napolitano Takes Bipartisan Hits on Border Budget Proposals – CQ Homeland Security
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the border security aspects of President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget request against criticism from the right and left Thursday. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., raised concerns about the inability of the department to implement provisions of the Sept. 11 commission recommendations (PL 110-53) that mandated the screening of all maritime cargo entering the country.
Napolitano Faces Questions About Screening Technology Funding – CQ Homeland Security
Both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday questioned a request for technologically advanced airport scanners in President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget request, but for seemingly opposite reasons.
Unmanned drone sought for Texas-Mexico border – Congress Daily
House Homeland Security Border Subcommittee Chairman Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, has asked the Homeland Security Department to deploy a new unmanned aircraft along his state’s border with Mexico.
DHS Counter Terrorism Exec Takes Office – Information Week
The Department of Homeland Security has a new leader for its efforts to use IT and other means to share intelligence information with state and local law enforcement officials to counter terrorist threats.