Government Employee Uses DHS Database to Track Ex-Girlfriend
When you build a surveillance system, you invite trusted insiders to abuse that system:
According to the indictment, Robinson, began a relationship with an unidentified woman in 2002 that ended acrimoniously seven months later. After the breakup, federal authorities allege Robinson accessed a government database known as the TECS (Treasury Enforcement Communications System) at least 163 times to track the travel patterns of the woman and her family.
What I want to know is how he got caught. It can be very hard to catch insiders like this; good audit systems are essential, but often overlooked in the design process.
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Raffy • October 4, 2007 5:00 AM
It’d be comforting to think that his activity tripped an alarm and attentive system administrators detected the unusual behavior, wouldn’t it? However, since this is a government database such an outcome is unlikely.
No doubt he acted on the information he uncovered somehow – tipping off the ex-girlfriend. She may have been previously aware of the surveillance possibilities of his job (as mid-level insiders with his access often like to brag about it.) She figured it out based on his subsequent behavior, lawyered up, and they looked into allegation. Yay, the system works!