Data Mining: DHS Needs to Improve Executive Oversight of Systems Supporting Counterterrorism
GAO-11-742
Published: Sep 07, 2011. Publicly Released: Oct 07, 2011.
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Highlights
Data mining--a technique for extracting useful information from large volumes of data--is one type of analysis that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uses to help detect and prevent terrorist threats. While data-mining systems offer a number of promising benefits, their use also raises privacy concerns. GAO was asked to (1) assess DHS policies for evaluating the effectiveness and privacy protections of data-mining systems used for counterterrorism, (2) assess DHS agencies' efforts to evaluate the effectiveness and privacy protections of their data-mining systems, and (3) describe the challenges facing DHS in implementing an effective evaluation framework. To do so, GAO developed a systematic evaluation framework based on recommendations and best practices outlined by the National Research Council, industry practices, and prior GAO reports. GAO compared its evaluation framework to DHS's and three component agencies' policies and to six systems' practices, and interviewed agency officials about gaps in their evaluations and challenges..
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Homeland Security | In order to improve DHS's policies and practices for ensuring that datamining systems used for counterterrorism are effective and provide necessary privacy protections, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Chief Information Officer and Chief Procurement Officer to work with their counterparts at component agencies to ensure the consistency of component agencies' policies with DHS policies and proposed improvements to those policies, including requiring data quality assessments, requiring re-evaluations of operational systems, and establishing investment review boards with clearly defined structures for system review. |
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) established a policy in February 2014 that directs component chief information officers to ensure that DHS's components comply with Department-level IT policies and directives. It also identified agency officials at each of its component agencies and completed a review of each agency's key policies to ensure that the policies align with DHS policies.
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| Department of Homeland Security | In order to improve DHS's policies and practices for ensuring that datamining systems used for counterterrorism are effective and provide necessary privacy protections, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Chief Information Officer and Chief Procurement Officer to work with their counterparts at component agencies to identify steps to mitigate challenges related to the review and oversight of operational systems and to DHS's changing policy requirements and determine clear corrective actions, taking the impact on components and on individual program managers into account. |
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) worked with officials from component agencies in order to revise its Capital Planning and Investment Control Directive and Instruction, and its Operational Analysis guidance. DHS plans to release its revised directive and guidance after DHS senior management approves DHS's updated System Engineering Life Cycle guide. Several component agency programs are already following the revised capital planning and operational analysis guidance and have submitted operational analyses as a part of their Exhibit 300 business cases.
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| Department of Homeland Security | In order to improve DHS's policies and practices for ensuring that datamining systems used for counterterrorism are effective and provide necessary privacy protections, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Chief Privacy Officer to develop requirements for providing additional scrutiny of privacy protections for the sensitive information systems that are not transparent to the public through privacy impact assessments (PIAs). |
In order to provide for additional scrutiny of the privacy protections for the sensitive information systems that do not have publicly-available privacy impact assessments, DHS noted in its agency comments letter that the DHS Privacy Office planned to include an annex on unreleased privacy impact assessments in its Annual Report to Congress that was marked and handled with the appropriate national security (or other sensitive, but unclassified) restrictions. The agency further noted that members of Congress could request the relevant documents or schedule a briefing with the agency after reviewing the annex. Subsequently, the Privacy Office included this annex in its recent report to Congress. By completing this activity, the DHS Privacy Office can better assure it is maintaining appropriate transparency for its systems and of its actions.
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| Department of Homeland Security | In order to improve DHS's policies and practices for ensuring that datamining systems used for counterterrorism are effective and provide necessary privacy protections, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Chief Privacy Officer to investigate whether the information sharing component of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Pattern Analysis and Information Collection (ICEPIC), called the Law Enforcement Information Sharing Service, should be deactivated until a PIA that includes this component is approved. |
The DHS Privacy Office began a privacy compliance review of the ICEPIC program in September 2011. While the review was ongoing, the Chief Privacy Officer reviewed, approved, and in October 2011, published an updated privacy impact assessment of the program that included the Law Enforcement Information Sharing service. In the results of the privacy compliance review, published in December 2011, the office noted that by directing the expedited preparation and review of the PIA update, the DHS Privacy Office was able to bring the system into compliance with the E-Government Act and DHS policy (which obviated the need to shut down the program).
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| Department of Homeland Security | In order to improve DHS's policies and practices for ensuring that datamining systems used for counterterrorism are effective and provide necessary privacy protections, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the the appropriate component agency administrators to ensure that the system program offices for Analytical Framework for Intelligence (AFI), Automated Targeting System (ATS)-Passenger (ATS-P), Citizen and Immigration Data Repository (CIDR), Data Analysis and Research for Trade Transparency System (DARTTS), ICEPIC, and TECS Modernization (TECS-Mod) address the shortfalls in evaluating system effectiveness and privacy protections identified in this report, including shortfalls in applying acquisition practices, ensuring executive review and approval, and consistently documenting executive reviews. |
Of the six programs we reviewed, two have taken steps to address shortfalls and resolve deficiencies, two have been retired, one was cancelled, and one is undergoing a reorganization that will result in a new concept of operations. Specifically, the Analytical Framework for Investment (AFI) and the Customs and Border Patrol's (CBP) TECS-Mod systems have passed multiple internal and external reviews, and resolved deficiencies. Both the Data Analysis and Research for Trade Transparency System (DARTTS)and the ICE Pattern Analysis and Information Collection (ICEPIC) systems have been retired. The Citizenship Immigration Data Repository (CIDR) effort was cancelled. CBP's Advanced Targeting System-Passenger (ATS-P) is in the process of a reorganization and the agency expects to complete a new concept of operations for the system in late fall 2015. This new concept of operations will likely trigger the need for new assessments of system effectiveness and privacy protections.
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Topics
CounterterrorismData collectionData miningHomeland securityInformation managementInformation systemsInformation technologyInternal controlsPolicy evaluationPrivacy policiesProgram evaluationRight of privacySystems analysisSystems development life cycleSystems evaluationMining