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Less than functional or not, it is the duty of people with access to classified information to protect it. You sign tons of paperwork to that effect. Honest mi

Less than functional or not, it is the duty of people with access to classified information to protect it. You sign tons of paperwork to that effect. Honest mistakes happen all the time. If you're lucky, your hand is slapped and people move along. But it is possible to have your clearance revoked - like Sandy Berger - or even serve prison time for purposeful malfeasance or disregard for the rules. And this isn't a new thing... remember how when Obama took office everyone talked about securing his Blackberry - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/politics/23berry.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/politics/23berry.html?_... ? > While lawyers and the Secret Service balked at Mr. Obama’s initial requests to allow him to keep his BlackBerry, they acquiesced as long as the president — and those corresponding with him — agreed to strict rules. And he had to agree to use a specially made device, which must be approved by national security officials.

ethbro 11y ago
Which works when you're the President and can have a custom device made. But what about when you're Secretary of State? Or even, god forbid, some poor functionary down at the bottom end of State? Or the Department of Indian Affairs? I absolutely agree that protecting classified information by whatever rules are in place is of primary importance. However, we've all seen dysfunctional organizations. So I'm also sympathetic to someone trying to get work done and ignoring soft guidelines in favor of an institutionally accepted interpretation that's conducive to accomplishing the job. And unsympathetic to telling someone at the time "we really should do that, but everyone does this" and than raking them over the coals from a future armchair that we were shocked (!) that they didn't following all guidelines. Show me a successful, highly-productive individual's records and I'll show you somewhere they forgot to cross a t.
- caseysoftware 11y ago
  > ignoring soft guidelines Except we're not talking about "soft guidelines" or simple recommendations but actual laws: * Executive Order 13526 - https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-classified-national-security-information https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-... * 18 U.S. Code § 793 - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 * The 2009 Federal Records Act * (probably) The Freedom of Information Act in addition to a classified information non-disclosure agreement: * https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/HRC_NDAS/1/DOC_0C05833708/C05833708.pdf https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/HRC_NDAS/1/DOC_0C...
  - ethbro 11y ago
    When >25% of government workers respond that private emails were used at least some of the time, that's an institutional problem. http://www.govexec.com/insights/state-internal-workplace-communication/106737/ http://www.govexec.com/insights/state-internal-workplace-com... https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-experience-not-unique/2015/03/03/cf59747a-c1e5-11e4-9ec2-b418f57a4a99_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-experience-...
- yompers888 11y ago
  You don't use custom devices, of course; in fact, your phone stays at the front. I've never known of anyone to be able to move IT equipment in and out of classified environments. I'm assuming that they make exceptions just for these top leaders so that they can move about and interface with the world while still keeping connected to classified information. So, if it's some poor functionary at the bottom of state, his ass is out on the street if his phone comes into the classified area. Some spillage can sometimes be met with a slap on the wrist, but there's very little chance that you'll get off easy after bringing a microphone/GPS/camera/networked/mass storage device in to secure areas. Most of the NSA people are free to buy Huawei Nexus 6p (although I'll bet there's some statistically significant disinclination) because their phones should never be interfacing with any of the information they use in their work.
  - caseysoftware 11y ago
    I once had my two-way pager destroyed because I forgot to check it in one day. I had to pay for the new one myself. :(

ethbro 11y ago

Which works when you're the President and can have a custom device made. But what about when you're Secretary of State? Or even, god forbid, some poor functionary down at the bottom end of State? Or the Department of Indian Affairs? I absolutely agree that protecting classified information by whatever rules are in place is of primary importance. However, we've all seen dysfunctional organizations. So I'm also sympathetic to someone trying to get work done and ignoring soft guidelines in favor of an institutionally accepted interpretation that's conducive to accomplishing the job. And unsympathetic to telling someone at the time "we really should do that, but everyone does this" and than raking them over the coals from a future armchair that we were shocked (!) that they didn't following all guidelines. Show me a successful, highly-productive individual's records and I'll show you somewhere they forgot to cross a t.

caseysoftware 11y ago
> ignoring soft guidelines Except we're not talking about "soft guidelines" or simple recommendations but actual laws: * Executive Order 13526 - https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-classified-national-security-information https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-... * 18 U.S. Code § 793 - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 * The 2009 Federal Records Act * (probably) The Freedom of Information Act in addition to a classified information non-disclosure agreement: * https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/HRC_NDAS/1/DOC_0C05833708/C05833708.pdf https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/HRC_NDAS/1/DOC_0C...
- ethbro 11y ago
  When >25% of government workers respond that private emails were used at least some of the time, that's an institutional problem. http://www.govexec.com/insights/state-internal-workplace-communication/106737/ http://www.govexec.com/insights/state-internal-workplace-com... https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-experience-not-unique/2015/03/03/cf59747a-c1e5-11e4-9ec2-b418f57a4a99_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-experience-...
yompers888 11y ago
You don't use custom devices, of course; in fact, your phone stays at the front. I've never known of anyone to be able to move IT equipment in and out of classified environments. I'm assuming that they make exceptions just for these top leaders so that they can move about and interface with the world while still keeping connected to classified information. So, if it's some poor functionary at the bottom of state, his ass is out on the street if his phone comes into the classified area. Some spillage can sometimes be met with a slap on the wrist, but there's very little chance that you'll get off easy after bringing a microphone/GPS/camera/networked/mass storage device in to secure areas. Most of the NSA people are free to buy Huawei Nexus 6p (although I'll bet there's some statistically significant disinclination) because their phones should never be interfacing with any of the information they use in their work.
- caseysoftware 11y ago
  I once had my two-way pager destroyed because I forgot to check it in one day. I had to pay for the new one myself. :(