The FBI is facing difficulty finding private sector partners who will share information related to cyber security threats, a Department of Justice watchdog reported, citing growing distrust of Washington following the Edward Snowden leaks.
Companies have “become more reluctant to share information with the United States government because they are uncertain as to how the information they provide will be used and are concerned about balancing national security and individual privacy interests,” a Justice Department inspector general audit published Thursday noted.
The IG referred to an interview with a company representative who “emphasized that Snowden has redefined how the private sector shares information with the United States government.”
The former National Security Agency contractor turned whistleblower released documents to journalists detailing the NSA’s rampant spying—both at home and abroad—and the enormous volumes of information that the agency is sucking up on a daily basis.
The Snowden disclosures have often been referenced by opponents of legislation known as the Cyber Information Sharing Act (CISA), which aims to bolster information sharing between the government and the private sector. The bill offers incentives, such as legal immunity, to companies that swap data with the government.
Although the legislation will likely be considered sometime in the fall, it does little to address the trust concerns of the private sector that are mentioned in the IG’s report.
In addition, the Justice Department’s overseer found that companies are troubled that information sharing appears to be a one-way street, where data flows into the hands of the government, but the sharing isn’t reciprocated.
“Several private sector representatives told us that providing information to the FBI is akin to sending it into a black hole – the information goes in and the entities never hear any more about it,” the IG reports.
The few times the FBI does share information, industry representatives complained that the bureau “over-classifies” it, and that the information “is often stale and no longer useful.”
“This lack of mutual exchange of timely information creates an environment in which private sector entities may be less willing to share important information in the future,” the IG warned, recommending that the FBI strengthen its outreach efforts to private companies, and “develop metrics to measure” how it sends information to the private sector. The bureau concurred with the recommendations.
The Justice Department watchdog had undertaken an investigation of the FBI’s Next Generation Cyber Initiative—a multi-year program that includes “enhancing information sharing and operational collaboration with the private sector.” In 2014, it received a $314 million budget.
