TSA shouldn’t keep report information away from public, watchdog says

The Transportation Security Agency went too far by trying to keep information away from the public, a top federal watchdog said.

TSA redacted large portions of a report about security for IT systems at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, arguing that the material was “Sensitive Security Information.”

But John Roth, inspector general for the Homeland Security Department, said he believes the agency redacted the report in an effort to hide unflattering information.

“I believe that this report should be released in its entirety in the public domain,” Mr. Roth said. “Over-classification is the enemy of good government. SSI markings should be used only to protect transportation security, rather than, as I fear occurred here, to allow government program officials to conceal negative information within a report.”

The IG said they provided an un-redacted copy of the report to Congress, but were legally forbidden from releasing the report publicly due to TSA’s classification of the information as secret. Mr. Roth said that similar information has been made public before, and that the IG’s computer experts don’t believe there would be a threat to public safety should the report be published in full.

Investigators listed several examples of what they believed to be an attempt by TSA to muzzle reports on problems. For example, the IG took a photo to show that TSA computer servers were being stored in an area that could easily be accessed by the public. TSA declared the picture sensitive and blocked it form the public report. But investigators said that several other pictures of similar computer equipment — all stored in their proper place — were not marked as sensitive.

No fire extinguishers or smoke detectors for several TSA areas in the airport terminals, no needed software updates for computers and problems with video surveillance systems were among other issues the IG said it was worried TSA is trying to bury.

“Our ability to issue reports that are transparent, without unduly restricting information, is key to accomplishing our mission,” Mr. Roth said.

It’s not the first time TSA has been dinged by watchdogs for its lax computer security. The Washington Times reported that in September, Mr. Roth’s office found that supposedly-secure TSA computer server rooms at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport were being used by employees as breakrooms, complete with refrigerators, televisions and blankets.