August 26, 2024 at 03:20PM
The FBI was found to have serious flaws in its handling and disposal of seized electronic storage media. The lack of labeling and tight security measures posed risks of loss or theft of sensitive information. While the FBI is taking steps to address the issue, concerns remain over inventory control and security measures. Source: OIG.
From the meeting notes, it appears that the FBI has faced serious issues with the processing and destruction of electronic storage media seized during investigations. The audit by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General revealed significant shortcomings, including unlabeled drives containing sensitive national security data, lax security at the facility for destroying media, and a lack of inventory controls over storage media.
To address these challenges, the FBI is taking steps such as installing wire cages to lock away storage media and planning to implement a video surveillance system at the evidence destruction storage facility. Additionally, the agency has drafted a policy directive aimed at improving the marking and safe destruction of data on electronic devices.
It’s clear that the FBI is working to address these security and accountability issues, and it will be important to track the progress as these initiatives are implemented.