How to prevent low-ranking IT personnel from revealing national security secrets
letters to the editor
April 24, 2023
About the editor: There are two major safety issues not mentioned in the op-ed. How can a 21-year-old leak national security data without the Pentagon knowing?
First, there are too many items classified, resulting in a lack of resources to protect really important information. Experts estimate that up to 90% of classified documents are obsolete.
Second, there is the lack of layers. The latest leak is said to be about a 21-year-old
Sky
National Guard Jack Teixeira and the infamous Edward Snowden case were both perpetrated by low-ranking IT personnel who gained access to the physical computers on which the data was stored.
Simply encrypting the data on the computers would have severely hampered the leaks, as IT staff would have had no idea which files were worth copying.
In addition, it helps to have these IT people under the supervision of senior personnel to ensure that nothing illegal can happen. If both layers are present, how likely is it that an IT worker is leaking?
Michael Lampel, Granada Hills
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About the editor: A solution to countering unauthorized disclosure of classified information could lie in the “two-man rule” currently used to protect nuclear weapons, for example.
Requiring second expert approval for top secret access can be expensive and cumbersome. But when you weigh the cost of those leaks, and yes, the cost of even giving permission to a 21-year-old service person, it could be a bargain.
Trish Kelly, corona
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About the editor: Nicholas Goldberg’s column on whistleblowers committed a criminal offense by even mentioning Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden in the same sentence.
Ellsberg exposed lies about illegal actions in the Vietnam War. He faced the legal ramifications because he thought it was worth it.
Snowden revealed what anyone reading the Congressional Record might have realized had they assumed the National Security Agency was doing what we told them to do. He then turned around with stolen information and eventually fled to Russia. He still refuses to face the consequences, presumably because he doesn’t think it’s worth it.
However, the mention of Aldrich Ames and Snowden in the same sentence was appropriate; both were selfish. Ellsberg is a true patriot.
Dave Suess, Redondo Beach
Source: LA Times
Roger Stone is an author and opinion journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He is known for his controversial and thought-provoking views on a variety of topics, and has a talent for engaging readers with his writing.
