United States General Accounting Office

This author's articles

• Terrorist Watch List Screening : Efforts to Help Reduce Adverse Effects on the Public

  10 October 2006
  Annually, millions of individuals-from international travelers to visa applicants-are screened for terrorism links against the watch list. At times, a person is misidentified because of name similarities, although the exact number is unknown. In some cases, agencies can verify the person is not a match by comparing birth dates or other data with watch list records, but agencies do not track the number. In other cases, they ask TSC for help. From December 2003 (when TSC began operations) to January 2006, agencies sent tens of thousands of names to TSC, and about half were misidentifications, according to TSC. While the total number of people misidentified may be substantial, it likely represents a fraction of all people screened. Even so, misidentifications can lead to delays, intensive questioning and searches, missed flights, or denied entry at the border.

• Critical Infrastructure Protection: Department of Homeland Security Faces Challenges in Fulfilling Cybersecurity Responsibilities

  4 September 2006
  The purpose of the report is to determine (1) the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) roles and responsibilities for cyber critical infrastructure protection, (2) the status and adequacy of DHS’s efforts to fulfill these responsibilities, and (3) the challenges DHS faces in fulfilling its cybersecurity responsibilities.

• Critical Infrastructure Protection : Federal Efforts Require a More Coordinated and Comprehensive Approach for Protecting Information Systems

  3 January 2006
  The explosion in computer interconnectivity, while providing great benefits, also poses enormous risks. Terrorists or hostile foreign states could launch computer-based attacks on critical systems to severely damage or disrupt national defense or other critical operations.