LEADING THE NEWS Clinton-era hard drive missing from archives Posted: 05/19/09 08:02 PM [ET] A massive amount of sensitive, national security-related information from the Clinton administration has gone missing from the national archives.
The Inspector General of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) told congressional committee staffers Tuesday that a hard drive containing over a terabyte of information -- the equivalent of millions of books--went missing from the NARA facility in College Park, Md., sometime between October 2008 and March 2009.
That hard drive includes information on Secret Service operating procedures, event logs, and other "highly sensitive information," according to the office of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The data also includes 100,000 Social Security numbers, including the number of one of Al Gore's daughters.
According to Issa's office, the hard drive was in the process of being moved when it somehow disappeared. At least 100 employees, in addition to numerous janitors, interns and visitors, could have accessed the location where the drive was last seen, which, the inspector general told staffers, was located on the way to the restroom.
Issa is calling for a hearing on the matter, asking National Archives and Administration Acting Archivist Adrienne Thomas to testify before a subcommittee on Thursday.
"This egregious breach raises significant questions regarding the effectiveness of the security protocols that are in place at the National Archives and Records Administration," Issa said. "Acting Director Thomas should appear before the committee either voluntarily or via subpoena on Thursday to explain how such an outrageous breach of security happened."
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
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