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On-Call-IT Assists In Government Data Destruction
covaro writes "Seems those on-site computer services may be helping to cover up government dirty deeds these days. The Wall Street Journal reports: 'Investigators learned that [Office of Special Counsel head Scott Bloch, who has been under investigation since 2005] erased all the files on his office personal computer late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said ... Bypassing his agency's computer technicians, Mr. Bloch phoned for Geeks on Call, the mobile PC-help service ... Bloch had his computer's hard disk completely cleansed using a "seven-level" wipe: a thorough scrubbing that conforms to Defense Department data-security standards. The process makes it nearly impossible for forensics experts to restore the data later.'"
I just have a little gripe. It seems to me that we /. types and the public in general are obsessed with portraying anything the government of (insert western country here) does in a negative light. I think we've lost sight of the fact that the vast majority of people working in the public service sector are hard working neighbors of ours that go to work every day and do their part in an attempt to make society better. This isn't to say that the bureaucracy doesn't often screw up, create inefficiencies and from time to time do shady things, but more often than not these problems are the effect of a handful of idiots that have enough power to make things happen. Just like in a neighborhood, any large entity will have all types of people; good, bad, honest, dishonest, etc. Constant unending criticism from the general public neither productive or effective. It simply serves to cheapen the efficacy of justified criticism when it is in fact needed. What this guy did is without question 'shady' (not to mention illegal) but it doesn't reflect on the leadership as a whole. We have many good, hard working leaders, and many more working behind the scenes to make ours some of the best living in the world. Don't lose sight of that. Just my two cents.
Let's suppose for a moment that whatever was on that hard drive would prove him guilty of all charges; the penalty for that would be severe, like a stiff fine and jail time.
Now let's suppose he did a good job of destroying all the evidence, now he can only be tried for destroying evidence, which is pretty bad, but perhaps not as bad as whatever it is he actually did.
If you were wanted for heinous crimes against humanity (I don't know uhh... biological warfare!), and the only person with any proof winds up dead at your hands, you just need to defend yourself against the murder charge.
-Billco, Fnarg.com
Thirty years ago, there was a huge uproar about some guy erasing a few minutes of tape. Nowadays, politicians get away with destroying evidence while under investigation...and the media doesn't even raise a stink. He who controls the media, indeed.
That's the polar opposite of the perfect answer. This is a government computer we're talking about. End-users aren't to be performing maintenance, contracting out maintenance, or any other such notion. The idea of "oops, I must've got a virus" complete bullshit: any IT department worth its paycheck has ensured their systems are virus-proof. In the event that a virus did manage to make its way through, mandatory SOP would be for the in-house shop to determine how security was compromise, the extent of the damage, and ensure that the issue has been resolved properly. Now take that up a notch for government systems, and "oops!" is far from a perfect excuse.
This fucker needs to be investigated.