Information Sharing for Homeland Security: A Brief Overview

Publication Date: January 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government; Media, telecommunications, and information

Type:

Abstract:

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, various recommendations and efforts have been made with the intention of improving information sharing among government entities at all levels within the United States, the private sector, and certain foreign governments, with a view to countering terrorists and strengthening homeland security. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission) was among those to have most recently offered recommendations in this regard in its July 22, 2004, report. The types of information potentially within the scope of such sharing include raw data, which has undergone little or no assessment regarding its accuracy or implications; knowledge, which has been determined to have a high degree of reliability or validity; and intelligence, which has been carefully evaluated concerning its accuracy and significance, and may sometimes be credited in terms of its source. This report reviews some of the principal existing homeland security information sharing arrangements, as well as some projected arrangements in this regard, and discusses related policy, evaluations, and proposed legislation. It will be updated as events warrant.