Information Sharing News

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to roll out fraudulent document technology scanners to airports which will be networked with the no-fly list. The scanners are meant to replace the current system in which a TSA officer called the "travel document checker" looks intently at a boarding pass and passenger identification under ultraviolent light before scrawling an assent for the passenger to proceed. In a January 18, 2013, privacy impact assessment, TSA says it plans to connect the scanners to watch lists via its Secure Flight program, which matches passenger data to databases of suspected terrorists. TSA announced a three U.S. airports pilot of the scanners--dubbed the Credential Authentication Technology/Boarding Pass Scanning System--in April 2012.

Virginia has gone mobile in its effort to keep citizens informed about statewide emergencies and disaster planning. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) launched the Ready Virginia mobile app earlier this month, featuring a variety of notification and planning amenities that can be used in the event of a flood, hurricane, or other catastrophe. The app includes location-specific weather watches and warnings and flood information issued by the National Weather Service; disaster news from the VDEM; maps detailing where open American Red Cross shelters are; evacuation routes and storm surge zones; a template to create family emergency plans; and various informational links.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released 2013 Federal Advocacy Priorities. Through this report, NASCIO hopes to put a spotlight on modernizing outdated federal rules and regulations, bolstering nation’s cybersecurity, building a public safety broadband network, and pushing greater collaboration to expand the maturity and use of information exchange models and secure identities in cyberspace. With technology and telecommunications evolving faster than federal rules and regulations, NASCIO is looking to work with federal partners to ensure citizens’ tax dollars are not being wasted due to regulations that do not complement current technologies and best practices in information technology management.