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From the Staff Committee
2017-2018 |
(202)
370-4645 |
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September 8th,
2017 |
SN-6/17-18 Original:
English |
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IMPROPER
ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION The OAS Staff Committee wishes
to bring staff up to date regarding the issue of improper access to
confidential and private information of OAS personnel. The members of
the Committee have met with the Inspector General, the Ombudsperson and the
Chief of Staff about this particular issue and, as noted in Staff News #5,
the issue was discussed in the meeting with the Secretary General on August
28. The original communication
sent by the Department of Human Resources (Personnel Circular No. 27/17) on
June 30, 2017, indicated that the perpetrator accessed information pertaining
to approximately 100 persons and that the Administration took immediate and
decisive action. The members of the Committee have received confirmation that
a total of 96 current staff members and consultants of the OAS General
Secretariat have been notified and that, notwithstanding unexpected
developments, no other letters would be sent. The Committee appreciates the
seriousness with which the Office of the Secretary General has addressed this
issue. Nevertheless, wishes to express the following concerns, each of which
is followed by a recommendation: 1.
Many of those affected, still do not have
an adequate explanation of the type of information that was accessed and
sometimes the explanations are contradictory. It appears that in addition to
the staff member, information on spouses or other family members may have
been accessed. The Committee would like to suggest that depending on the
type of information improperly accessed, the OAS should consider remedial
action such as credit monitoring or credit protection for one year or more,
as has been standard practice in other businesses or governments in which
personal information has been compromised. 2.
The Staff Committee is particularly
concerned about the perceived or real conflict of interest in the follow up
to this breach and is unaware that a full investigation has taken place
regarding this matter. The Committee believes that such an
investigation should take place and given the amount of time that has
elapsed, it might be worthwhile to consider an outside party to conduct such
an investigation. 3.
The Committee also believes that this
particular problem is emblematic of a lack of information security protocols
and procedures in other parts of the OAS General Secretariat that handle
confidential information, potentially even more sensitive than that which was
breached. During our meeting, the Secretary General informed the
Committee that he has requested a thorough review of the procedures and would
make a concerted effort to implement modern procedures and safeguards in each
of these areas as soon as possible. The
Staff Association would welcome a role in developing, implementing and
disseminating these safeguards. 4.
Lastly, to address these and perhaps other
concerns, the Staff Committee will convene an Informative Session to discuss
these issues within the next 15 days. The Staff Committee will also
extend an invitation to the appropriate authorities so that they can respond
to any further questions the staff may have regarding the improper access of
confidential information. |
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