Homeland Security secretary highlights importance of technology
Work is almost complete on a common e-mail operation within the department.
TYSONS CORNER, Va. -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Thursday outlined the transition to improved technology to check people and cargo entering the country.
During a morning speech to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Chertoff expressed surprise at the packed ballroom of 600 high-tech executives before launching into his appeal for a better partnership between government and the technology sector.
"Technology is at least part of the solution to almost every problem," he said.
Chertoff said the Homeland Security Department will be collecting 10 fingerprints rather than two from U.S. visitors. He said part of the reason is to provide better data to check overseas fingerprint checks by the U.S. government at places where suspected terrorists have been.
"That is a huge step forward," Chertoff said, explaining that while the government may have lists of known terrorists, the additional check hopefully will make it easier to detect associates who may not be as well-known.
He said another transition will be making the fingerprint checks from the US-VISIT program for tracking compatible with FBI data.
Chertoff acknowledged that states are concerned about cost and privacy issues associated with the so-called REAL ID law mandating nationwide driver's licenses and identification standards. But he questioned those states that have cited privacy concerns in opposing the law.
"I think that's an argument we need to push back on hard ... this kind of Luddite attitude that any attempt to secure information" is wrong and short-sighted," Chertoff said. "The future of privacy as well as security lies in the effective use of technology."
Later, after talking about states submitting their plans to ensure that emergency communications systems can communicate with each other, Chertoff elaborated more about privacy. He expressed optimism that the conflicts can be resolved.
"Privacy is at the core of our mission, not a secondary consideration," he said. "I think security and privacy are the same type of value, and I think they're mutually enforceable."
Chertoff also discussed the ongoing work to combine the federal agencies that joined to form his department, including consolidating 17 data centers into two. "That's going to save millions of taxpayer dollars," Chertoff said. He also said work is almost complete on a common e-mail operation within the department.
Solutions to cyber security and other issues that the department faces depend on innovations from the tech sector, he said. But in response to a question on adopting the latest technology, Chertoff said he is "not a big fan" of someone showing Homeland Security or a member of Congress "some really neat gadget and saying, 'Let's figure out a way to use it.'"