Feds Misusing Federal Systems

News that a special agent with the Commerce Department's Office of Export Enforcement was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for accessing a government database to track the travels of a former girlfriend raises the question: Just how often do federal employees misuse government computers? For sure, the case of Benjamin Robinson, a 40-year-old special agent for Commerce who had been with the department for 10 years is rather extreme. He accessed the database 163 times, lied to his supervisors and threatened his former girlfriend's life. It’s not the only one. Another extreme case of improper use of a government computer was posted in Tech Insider here. (I urge you to read the comments that accompany the item to get a complete picture.)

Discussing the former case with a source who has spent nearly 30 years working and consulting on federal IT projects here in Washington, D.C., tells me that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, we hear about the more egregious, yet infrequent, abuses. But this source says less serious misuse, such as accessing private information for purely prurient interests and using powerful government applications for personal use is, if not common, widespread. In an upcoming "Managing Technology" column in Government Executive Magazine, a long-time General Services Administration employee says that the GSA has a well-publicized policy of monitoring Internet and network use, but it is widely known among employees that the logs are rarely scanned, leaving no check against misuse. I'll post a link to this story when it is published.

What's your experience at your agency or contractor's office of employees improperly using or accessing government databases or applications? Is it widespread? Let us know by clicking the comment link below.