Carmella Iacovetta The Power of the Profile

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The Power of the Profile When it comes to personal information in America, the genie is out of the bottle. As such, information security will continue to be a pressing concern especially to most of our top three-letter-agencies such as the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), NSA (National Security Agency), DOD (Department of Defense), and HS (Homeland Security) as most of them are staffed with employees with top secret security clearances (also known as TS).When someone is given this clearance, not only are they slated to uphold an allegiance to core values but they are also entrusted with our nations’ sensitive secrets and are held to the highest standards. Many of these professionals are honest and loyal to their country, but all humans are susceptible to preservation, desires, and needs that the famous psychologist Maslow showed in his famous hierarchy of needs pyramid. As such, without undue temptation and trickery most handle their jobs well and uphold their commitments to quietly (sometimes loudly) dedicate their lives to patriotism. The reality is in 2013 most American lives are being logged at every step from being filmed as they buy a soda at 7-11 or doing your homework at the computer lab at a community college. And, although many have heard about this intrusion, many do not most know the extent of this information and its impact when it is combined in a profile. This profile is used in background checks for top security clearances that the Office of Personnel Management (2013) requires to obtain this credential. Today, all people that have top security clearances are at risk to be targeted in ways that are deviant and often passive. To understand the profile is used to supply background checks, a history of the former company ChoicePoint will be explained to show this security threat of this now defunct company has contributed to this risk.

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