US Government Releases Information Sharing Privacy Principles

Via EPIC: US Government Releases Information Sharing Privacy Principles

The US government has released its "National Strategy for Information
Sharing."  The strategy describes information sharing between state and
local governments, the private sector and foreign governments, and
includes the administration's "core privacy principles" for protecting
privacy. Privacy guidelines, developed by the Attorney General and
Director of National Intelligence, are built on these core principles.

Privacy is described as a "core facet" of information sharing efforts.
The privacy principles limit information sharing to the broad and
undefined "terrorism, homeland security or law enforcement information
related to terrorism."  Participation in information sharing is not
conditioned on successful implementation of the principles.  For
implementation, the President directed the creation of the Privacy
Guidelines Committee, consisting of the Attorney General, Director of
National Intelligence and agency privacy officers. No citizen advocates
sit on the committee.

The National strategy summarizes some of the completed information
sharing tasks. The strategy touts the creation of an "Information
Sharing Environment"; significant grant funding to stated and local
"information fusion centers"; the consolidation of watchlists in a
"terrorist screening center"; and the creation of the "Homeland Security
Information Network" for two-way information sharing between federal and
stated and local officials.

Per the strategy, information needs of state and local entities grow as
they incorporate homeland security into their day-to-day crime fighting
activities.  Fusion centers are the are the "primary focal points" for
sharing of terrorism related information. Private sector information
sharing focuses on sharing with operators and owners of "critical
infrastructure." In receiving foreign information the "guiding
objective" is to ensure that the US can disseminate the information "as
broadly as possible." The impact on US persons' privacy of sharing their
information with foreign governments is to be "considered."

National Strategy for Information Sharing:

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/infosharing/index.html

EPIC's page on Fusion Centers:

    http://www.epic.org/privacy/fusion/"