♦ The Federal Protective Service told lawmakers yesterday that it has upgraded its private guard training and oversight [1] after an embarrassing GAO report last year and multiple attacks on federal buildings over the last few months. The agency, which protects 9,000 federal facilities, "has developed new training on X-ray machines and magnetometers for the almost 15,000 private security guards it employs, agency director Gary Schenkel told lawmakers," reports The Washington Post. "FPS officers have also reviewed the certifications of contract guards and increased spot inspections at guard posts." Last summer, GAO investigators were able to smuggle bomb-making materials into high-security federal facilities [2], construct the bombs inside the buildings' bathrooms, and walk around the building unmolested. 

♦ Computer scientists and policy experts tell The New York Times that all the seemingly insignificant information people reveal on the Internet can now be reconstructed to reveal their identity and even their Social Security numbers [3]. There is a bright spot for now, reports the Times: "So far, this type of powerful data mining, which relies on sophisticated statistical correlations, is mostly in the realm of university researchers, not identity thieves and marketers."

♦ The Yemeni government bolstered security at oil and maritime installations [4] after unleashing attacks against suspected al Qaeda targets, reports Agence France Presse. "Firm orders have been given to security bodies and the coast guard to up their alert levels in order to counter any possible terror attack by Al-Qaeda elements," the Interior Ministry's Web site said. The government reported it killed 3 militants from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula over the weekend.

♦ Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano yesterday announced that she has frozen spending on the government program to construct a virtual fence [5]across the U.S. Southwest border to stem illegal immigration from Mexico. Boeing, the contractor for the Secure Border Initiative Net program, has consistently missed deadlines and experienced technical problems. Business Week reports that "the Obama administration will divert $50 million intended for the system 'to other tested, commercially available security technology,' Napolitano said."

♦ The Baltimore Sun reports that it's unclear who exactly has responsibility to ensure the U.S. mail is safe [6]. This accountability question comes after five  threatening letters containing bullets and powdery substances were sent to  City Hall and Baltimore Circuit Court on Friday and Monday. "The courts say it's not their job to screen packages, and the postal system says it can do only so much," reports the Sun's Tricia Bishop.