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White House Demands Encryption for Sensitive Data
An anonymous reader writes "Stung by a series of data losses or disclosures at federal agencies over the past month, the White House is requiring all agencies to follow new guidelines when allowing employees to carry sensitive data on laptops or access the information from afar, according to the Washington Post. From the article: 'To comply with the new policy, agencies will have to encrypt all data on laptop or handheld computers unless the data are classified as "non-sensitive" by an agency's deputy director. Agency employees also would need two-factor authentication -- a password plus a physical device such as a key card -- to reach a work database through a remote connection, which must be automatically severed after 30 minutes of inactivity. Finally, agencies would have to begin keeping detailed records of any information downloaded from databases that hold sensitive information, and verify that those records are deleted within 90 days unless their use is still required.'"
> And the real question is: Why wasn't all these measures mandatory before? Did noone thought of the
> potential problem of a user going home with his laptop before?
There's this inexplicable faith in the American security services (CIA, FBI etc) that they're some sort of elite organisation that spies on everyone all over the world, knows exactly what's going on.."ooh, the black helicopters....I think my phone is tapped" etc. It's probably due to all the movies. I think if life was like how it is in the movies then the US wouldn't be in the pickle it's in at the moment.
In reality, they're useless. They utterly failed to pick up on Bin Laden's little plan; they only caught the unabomber because his brother told them about him; they failed to notice Saddams intentions to invade kuwait until hours before it happened; bushes amusing "Mission Accomplished" speech shortly before thousands of US troops started to get killed in Iraq - the list goes on and on.
Personally I wouldn't trust a word they say, and I'd assume that they'll continue to be an expensive incompetence, rather than a force that'll somehow protect innocent civilians from the wasps nests they appear to be willing to stir up around the world.
> Makes you wonder exactly what our homeland defense dept. is doing
Providing sinecures for Bush loyalists who are too big a fuckup to do a real job.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Why would the government need to use encryption unless they had something to hide? Remember, only terrorists have a need for encryption.