SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2015, Issue No. 82
December 10, 2015

Secrecy News Blog: http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

PROTECTING THE 2020 CENSUS FROM FRAUD

The national census in 2020 will be the first to rely primarily on the Internet for collecting census data, creating new avenues for fraud and disruption.

A new report from the JASON scientific advisory panel describes the problem and outlines some solutions.

Why would anyone want to interfere with the constitutionally-mandated census, which maps the population of the United States every ten years and serves as the basis for apportioning congressional districts? The JASONs identified a number of reasons.

"Several distinguishable types of fraud against the census must be considered, including: hacking the census for fun or bragging rights; social media attempts to discredit the census and reduce cooperation; mimicry of the census forms or apps for purposes including phishing; city or district-level attempts to changes population numbers or distributions; large scale attempts to affect apportionment of the House of Representatives; individual mischief and anti-government protest."

Not all of these threats are equally important. "Non-organized fraud from random individuals (e.g. pet names listed as family members) is unlikely have any significant impact on the outcomes of the U.S. Census," the JASONs said. And "individual mischief, for example, a response from Seymour Butts of 6 E. Psycho Path" is to be expected.

But large-scale, organized fraud could pose a threat to the integrity of the census, and the threshold for effectively manipulating the census process is surprisingly low.

"Occasionally, small numbers of census responses determine the loss or gain of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. For example, in the 2000 U.S. Census, Utah fell only 80 persons short of gaining a congressional seat, which was instead allocated to North Carolina."

The JASON report, prepared for the U.S. Census Bureau, included several technical and procedural recommendations to impede fraudulent activity, to facilitate its detection, and to mitigate its consequences.

"The goal of the 2020 Decennial Census is... to count every person, exactly once, on April 1, 2020, by the geographical location within the U.S. where they 'live and sleep most of the time' (or a similar formulation). The total number of people thus counted is expected to be about 335 million."

A copy of the JASON report was obtained by Secrecy News. See Respondent Validation for Non-ID Processing in the 2020 Decennial Census, November 2015.

COMPETENCIES OF INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY EMPLOYEES

Employees of the U.S. intelligence community are expected to be bold, innovative and imbued with moral courage.

At least, those are the desired qualities that are defined in a series of Intelligence Community Standards (ICS) first issued in 2008 that have just been released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Even a non-supervisory employee at levels GS-15 and below is expected (under ICS 610-3) to demonstrate creative thinking (he or she "designs new methods and tools where established methods and procedures are inapplicable, unavailable, or ineffective"); to consider alternative points of view (she "seeks out, evaluates, and integrates a variety of perspectives"); and to display intellectual integrity (he "exhibits courage when conveying views, presenting new ideas, and making/executing decisions irrespective of potentially adverse personal consequences. Does not alter judgments in the face of social or political pressure.").

Higher-level, supervisory personnel are to do all of that, and more (ICS 610-4).

And senior officers (ICS 610-5) "are expected to personally embody, advance and reinforce IC core values: a Commitment to selfless service and excellence in support of the IC's mission, as well as to preserving, protecting, and defending the Nation's laws and liberties; the integrity and Courage (moral, intellectual, and physical) to seek and speak the truth, to innovate, and to change things for the better, regardless of personal or professional risk."

Considering the state of the species, it would be remarkable if more than a small fraction of the IC workforce comes close to meeting the lofty standards for performance and conduct that are described here. But perhaps these statements of expectations themselves serve a wholesome, instructive purpose, making their own fulfillment somewhat more likely.

And the standards are more than rhetorical flights. They are to be used (pursuant to Intelligence Community Directive 610) for "qualification, training, career development, performance evaluation, [and] promotion."

PRINCIPLES FOR IMPLEMENTING IC IT ENTERPRISE

The guiding principles for implementing and operating the Intelligence Community (IC) Information Technology Enterprise (ITE) were set forth in a 2013 memorandum from the Director of National Intelligence that was recently released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The purpose of IC ITE (pronounced "eye sight") is to establish a common information architecture for the entire U.S. intelligence community, thereby fostering integration and making information sharing among agencies the default option.

"Information acquired, collected, or produced by IC elements shall be available for access for all IC missions and functions, subject to applicable legal and policy requirements," the 2013 DNI memo said.

Once available through IC ITE, however, access is still to be limited by need-to-know. "Determinations about access to and use of such information within IC ITE shall continue to be based upon content and mission need."

Nevertheless, agencies are expected and required to make "their" information available to the larger IC. "Unless a discovery exemption has been obtained, originating IC elements shall authorize and provide for automated discovery and retrieval of intelligence and intelligence-related information in IC ITE."

"IC ITE moves the IC from an agency-centric IT architecture to a common platform where the Community easily and securely shares technology, information, and resources," according to an ODNI fact sheet. "These new capabilities, with seamless and secure access to Community-wide information, will positively and deeply change how users communicate, collaborate, and perform their mission."

IC ITE technically "went live" in 2013, but it is still at an early stage of development.

"The classified annex of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 required the CIA, DIA, NRO, NGA, and NSA to provide specific plans for adoption of IC ITE-compliant capabilities," the Senate Intelligence Committee noted in a report earlier this year.

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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