Surf at Your Own Risk

Not content to threaten its employees with jail time for talking to the public about agency activities, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed a new way to intimidate. Two of its agencies have posted public web sites with the following threat:

“**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**

This is a United States Department of Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency computer system, hosted by Strategic Analysis Inc., which may be accessed and used only for official Government business by authorized personnel. Unauthorized access or use of this computer system may subject violators to criminal, civil and/or administrative action. All information on this computer system may be intercepted, recorded, read, copied, and disclosed by and to authorized personnel for official purposes, including criminal investigations. Access or use of this computer system by any person whether authorized or unauthorized, constitutes consent to these terms.

**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**”

The web sites can be viewed here -- http://www.hsarpabaa.com and  http://www.hsarpasbir.com

Ed Hammond of the Sunshine Project was surprised to discover the web site language while checking up on DHS biodefense programs.

Comments

[Beth]

Why it's necessary to have such threatening info on a publicly accessible government web site is a mystery....

Yes, it does appear that lawyers have run amok, particularly when compared to a sampling of other government and corporate web site privacy policies which are friendly and welcoming by comparison:

Department of Energy
http://www.doe.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=F_P

Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/privacy.jsp

Department of Defense
http://www.dod.gov/warning/warn-dl.html

Lockheed Martin (govt’s #1 contractor)
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=2&rsbci=0&fti=100&ti=0&sc=400

Boeing Corporation (govt’s #2 contractor)
http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/privacy.html

[Mike]

You have got to be kidding. This is a standard privacy act warning. I'll bet you find the same warning on every major corporation system. All this is saying is that you do not have the right to expect privacy, can not use the system for personal business, and the system belongs to the government.