Government to Scrub 'Sensitive' Web Information

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: leon <leon () inyc com>

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Government to Scrub 'Sensitive' Web Information 
Thu Mar 21,12:43 PM ET 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government agencies have been ordered to
clear their Web sites of sensitive information about weapons of mass
destruction that could be exploited by would-be terrorists, according
to memos released on Thursday. 

  
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card requested an "immediate
re-examination" of all public documents that critics said could
result in the government withdrawing thousands of papers, records and
reports that have been available for years. 

"Government information, regardless of its age, that could reasonably
be expected to assist in the development or use of weapons of mass
destruction ... should not be disclosed inappropriately," Card wrote.

The heads of all agencies and executive departments "have an
obligation to safeguard government records regarding weapons of mass
destruction," the memo said. It gave them 90 days to report their
findings to Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. 

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) defended the
move in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, calling it "balanced
and principled." He said agencies would have to be even more careful
now and expressed hope that the private sector would follow suit. 

"The downside of the Internet is that the same information can be
viewed by would-be terrorists or states," he told reporters, adding
that some details about "making better explosives and poisoning
water" already had been removed. 

In addition to documents on weapons of mass destruction, the review
includes "sensitive but unclassified information" that "could be
misused to harm the security of our nation and the safety of our
people." 

An accompanying memo from the acting director of information security
oversight, Laura Kimberly, told agencies and departments to classify
information regardless of age that "could reasonably be expected to
assist in the development or use of weapons of mass destruction." 

It recommends even declassified information that is sensitive be
reclassified. 


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