The good and the bad of fed Web 2.0

But what are Web 2.0 tools doing on the privacy and security front?

In a recently issued report, the Government Accountability Office says agencies are facing some challenges when it comes to controlling the information coming out of social networking sites.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are currently in place for almost every federal agency.

After analyzing federal policies and reports, and interviewing officials at selected federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration, the GAO found that these technologies can actually increase the risk of improper management and exposure of government records and sensitive information.

Greg Wilshusen, Director of Information Security Issues at GAO, says one challenge is determining whether information exchanged through these technologies constitutes federal records pursuant to the Federal Records Act.

Wilshusen says that if the information does constitute a federal record, another challenge is then establishing mechanisms for preserving such records, which can involve determining the appropriate intervals for capturing constantly changing web content.

But agencies often have limited control over the information and, therefore, may not have the appropriate ability to assure that the information is adequately protected and managed.

"This is an example where the technology outpaces policy," says Wilshusen.

Another challenge, says the GAO, is how to ensure that agencies take the appropriate steps to limit the collection and use of personal information through social media.

"Privacy could be compromised if clear limits are not set on how the government uses this personal information, to which it has access to in these social networking environments," says Wilshusen.

Adding to the troubled situation, federal agencies are responsible under the Federal Information Security Management Act for protecting their information even when the technology systems are maintained by third parties and contractors.

"Right now, it's kind of unclear to what extent that may apply to third party providers such as Facebook and Twitter," says Wilshusen.

Agencies' limited control over the information also makes it difficult to properly adhere to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

For information to be provided under such a request, the government needs to control the information, says Wilshusen, which is difficult in these situations where government control is not absolute.

"These technologies often provide great opportunities, but the use of those technologies needs to be thought through to ensure that agencies are using them appropriately to affect their missions," says Wilshusen.

Another concern surrounds the adherence to the Paperwork Reduction Act, and whether or not information shared on Web 2.0 applications is required to be printed.

However, the Office of Management and Budget recently issued some guidance that certain uses of social media and web-based interactive technologies would not necessarily be treated as information collections under the act, giving some relief to agencies.

Wilshusen says the GAO will continue it's review of how agencies are dealing with Web 2.0 concerns, and hopefully make recommendations soon based on the GAO's findings.

Email the author of this post at ereilly@federalnewsradio.com.