DHS Should Resolve Issues with Satellite Program, GAO Says

Privacy and security are once again going head-to-head as the Government Accountability Office has released a report taking the Department of Homeland Security to task over its satellite program.

In an article on the Federal Computer Week website, Ben Bain says the GAO has found the DHS hasn’t “fully dealt with all the legal, privacy and civil liberties issues associated with its program to create a clearinghouse for civilian agencies to get intelligence satellite imagery.”

What is the program? Bain says it’s meant to be a multiagency effort led by DHS that will facilitate access to classified geospatial data by users in the civil, homeland security and law enforcement communities.

Last spring, the DHS certified the program as compliant with all existing applicable laws, privacy and civil liberties standards. However, the GAO has found the DHS has not fully justified its certification that the initiative complies with applicable laws and some areas of potential concern regarding civil liberties and civil rights remain unaddressed.

“The program’s advocates say the NAO’s facilitation of sharing geospatial data could greatly improve emergency response, homeland security and law enforcement efforts,” Bain says. “However, the program has been controversial and some lawmakers have pressed for a hold on the program until legal issues are worked out. Civil liberties advocates have also expressed concerns about the program’s privacy and legal implications.”