Telecommunications Privacy

GSA's Planned FTS 2000 Telephone Record Controls Appear Reasonable Gao ID: IMTEC-89-6 December 23, 1988

In response to a congressional request, GAO examined the General Services Administration's (GSA) plans to provide privacy and security for users of the Federal Telecommunications System (FTS) 2000.

GAO found that GSA plans to: (1) provide security and privacy protection over FTS 2000 telephone call-detail records that is reasonable and consistent with the provisions of the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act; (2) limit the number of people handling call-detail data to safeguard against unauthorized access and unintentional disclosure; (3) restrict access to the computer systems that generate and maintain call-detail records; (4) conduct periodic audits of security compliance to ensure that the FTS 2000 contractor controls information access; and (5) provide other security measures to ensure the integrity of the call-detail record database. GAO also found that GSA: (1) established a committee to consider whether it should issue rules dealing with the privacy aspects of call-detail records; (2) contracted for a report on privacy and security arrangements regarding preparation and processing of FTS 2000 records; and (3) could implement, at the request of a customer and for a fee, a procedure to selectively search and strip data identifying called numbers from the call-detail records.

Recommendations

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