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According to an audit released in August from the Treasury Department's tax inspector general, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could not account for an unknown number of the 6,600 computers used in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs. These two programs combined to account for 1.1 million tax returns, 700,000 of which were filed electronically. To make matters worse, the IRS did not ensure that personal taxpayer information was removed from the computers at the end of tax season, or that volunteers did not load unauthorized software onto the computers while handling such sensitive information. With the possibility of such information reaching the wrong hands, the danger of identity fraud is clear and present. This is not the first time the government has failed to keep track of its computers. A check of the IRS database that controls the agency's computer inventory revealed that 93 percent of computers were unaccounted for during a random sampling. In addition, the IRS is missing 2,300 computers from programs other than the ones previously mentioned. These problems are not just confined to the IRS. The Customs Service has misplaced roughly 2,000 computers, while the Justice Department cannot locate 400. The agencies responsible for the missing computers at the Justice Department include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Without knowing exactly what kind of information is on these computers, the Justice Department's inspector general says that such a lack of accountability places "national security or sensitive law enforcement information" at risk. In some cases, it may actually be more beneficial for the government to lose computers if it forces agencies to buy newer replacements. Many of the government's computers are so old they do not even have email capabilities and are unable to interface with other computers. Coordination among agencies, especially in the law-enforcement sector, is virtually impossible through the use of computers. One has to look no further than the FBI to find some of the worst-case scenarios. From the early to mid-1990s, the agency launched several initiatives directed at improving various aspects of its computer system. Each time, it faced setbacks due to high costs and delays. When projects were completed, numerous flaws hindered productivity. For instance, in 1995, the agency developed an automated case system to better track records. Within a year, internal investigations found numerous errors in the program. In the late 1990s, the agency started accepting bids by private companies to handle the necessary upgrade. However, due to numerous problems, Congress canceled the project in 1999, leaving the FBI to continue using technology from the 1960s and 1970s. On Sept. 11, the FBI was still using computers that could not interface with a mouse, and that provided limited access to e-mail and the Internet. According to the Wall Street Journal, photos of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were rushed to the bureau's 56 field offices shortly after the attacks by overnight mail, because the FBI network couldn't transmit photos by e-mail. This situation exists despite the fact that since 1993, Congress designated $1.7 billion to upgrade the FBI's technology. Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), a long-time advocate for updating the FBI's computers, stated recently that the agency is relying on "fossil technology," and that all efforts to upgrade must be sped up. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who ran the agency from 1993 to 2001, had an outstanding reputation as a law enforcer and concentrated on expanding manpower and forming an international presence. But Freeh was not much of an advocate for new technology, even when then-Attorney General Janet Reno pushed for upgrades. Many of the funds Congress designated for the FBI's computers were instead used to accomplish Freeh's objectives, such as the hiring of more agents. As a result, Congress refused to provide any more funds until the money was used properly. Prior to Sept. 11, the Bush administration reduced the number of special agent positions by 400 to prevent future technology funds from being used to increase manpower. As a result of recent congressional hearings, the FBI has developed a technology upgrade plan. Since then, the agency has made substantial improvements. At a July hearing on Capitol Hill, the FBI was able to e-mail its testimony, whereas three months earlier it had had to deliver it on disk to the Senate staff. In the fiscal 2003 budget, the FBI has requested $76 million to upgrade its databases. The agency will also install a new computer system, called the Trilogy, at a cost of $379 million. Current FBI Director Robert Mueller has helped push for the new technology, and expects it will take two to three years to be operational. Hopefully, by then the FBI will be the technologically advanced crime-fighting organization it needs to be. — Tom Schatz is president of Citizens Against Government Waste. |
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the United States moves closer to a paperless society in which we communicate
electronically with the other side of the world in seconds and where "snail
mail" describes the U.S. Postal Service's glacial speed, one assumes
the government's top agencies would be equipped with the latest available
computer technology. Not only is this far from true, the government cannot
even keep track of the computers it does have.
