Information sharing between the public and private sectors has often been cited as one of the most important elements of a plan to prevent acts of terrorism. Despite some improvements, “trusted information sharing remains more of an aspiration than a reality,” says a new report from the Task Force on National Security in the Information Age of the Markle Foundation, a group that promotes the use of technology to address critical public needs.

“The government has yet to articulate a credible implementation plan for a broad and trusted information sharing environment, and the sense of commitment and determination that characterized the government’s response in the immediate aftermath” of 9-11 “has significantly diminished,” the report notes.

The report (the third on the subject that the Foundation has released since October 2002) supplies a series of recommendations to help “overcome the significant cultural and bureaucratic hurdles that impede sharing.” These include: the adoption of an authorized-use standard to protect civil liberties; the creation of a government wide dispute-resolution mechanism; the use of audit systems to facilitate accountability; and the creation of an Information Sharing Institute that would identify and distribute best practices and apply technologies from other sectors.

@ Mobilizing Information to Prevent Terrorism: Accelerating Development of a Trusted Information Sharing Environment [1] is available via SM Online.