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TYSONS CORNER, Va. -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Thursday outlined the transition to improved technology to check people and cargo entering the country.

During a morning speech to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Chertoff expressed surprise at the packed ballroom of 600 high-tech executives before launching into his appeal for a better partnership between government and the technology sector.

"Technology is at least part of the solution to almost every problem," he said.

Chertoff said the Homeland Security Department will be collecting 10 fingerprints rather than two from U.S. visitors. He said part of the reason is to provide better data to check overseas fingerprint checks by the U.S. government at places where suspected terrorists have been.

"That is a huge step forward," Chertoff said, explaining that while the government may have lists of known terrorists, the additional check hopefully will make it easier to detect associates who may not be as well-known.

He said another transition will be making the fingerprint checks from the US-VISIT program for tracking compatible with FBI data.

Chertoff acknowledged that states are concerned about cost and privacy issues associated with the so-called REAL ID law mandating nationwide driver's licenses and identification standards. But he questioned those states that have cited privacy concerns in opposing the law.

"I think that's an argument we need to push back on hard ... this kind of Luddite attitude that any attempt to secure information" is wrong and short-sighted," Chertoff said. "The future of privacy as well as security lies in the effective use of technology."

Later, after talking about states submitting their plans to ensure that emergency communications systems can communicate with each other, Chertoff elaborated more about privacy. He expressed optimism that the conflicts can be resolved.

"Privacy is at the core of our mission, not a secondary consideration," he said. "I think security and privacy are the same type of value, and I think they're mutually enforceable."

Chertoff also discussed the ongoing work to combine the federal agencies that joined to form his department, including consolidating 17 data centers into two. "That's going to save millions of taxpayer dollars," Chertoff said. He also said work is almost complete on a common e-mail operation within the department.

Solutions to cyber security and other issues that the department faces depend on innovations from the tech sector, he said. But in response to a question on adopting the latest technology, Chertoff said he is "not a big fan" of someone showing Homeland Security or a member of Congress "some really neat gadget and saying, 'Let's figure out a way to use it.'"

COMMENTS

• DHS is a joke! We are no safer today than we were 9/10 or 9/11. Our society is an "open" society and cannot be protected against everything. All DHS has done is spend our money and provided inconvenience for us and our enemies. They are taxing us by delaying shipments of goods that increase prices we pay; they are delaying travel and reducing the things we may travel with. I have no problem with a law that bans all carry ons for air travel - others think that is really bad. Terror on a plane is presented to different people in different ways. Kids are a method of terror for many flyers as are carry ons and free upgrades and sitting on the apron for hours and hours because the planes cannot takeoff in a timely manner. DHS has nothing to do with any of these things yet the represent terror to many travelers. DHS however makes you wait in long lines to enter the world of aircraft terror and increases the flying experience for those they make shoeless. So the barefoot flyers still must face the terror of cramped sits, crying kids, passengers hitting everyone with carry ons as they board, and over head racks that are full so you cannot stow carry ons anyway. save us all Posted March 19, 2007 7:13 AM
• The DHS Secretary is right on target on two issues: 1) Technology is key to everything that DHS does, and 2) Spending all your time chasing the newest gadget will not make DHS more effective. What is disconcerting is that DHS has yet to establish an effective mechanism for coping with the fast paced IT market or leveraging commercial IT best practices? The authors of the E-Gov Act and Clinger Cohen Act understood these problems, and provided legal foundation for agency heads to leverage IT best practices and public interest consortia. The Markle Foundation and Homeland Security Advisory Council reinforced this need, and called out for the creation of an Information Sharing Public/Private Partnership that could tap into the superior expertise of the commercial market. Now many years latter, where is the evidence that any of this guidance is being followed? There is a better way to leverage IT innovations and best practices of the market, and much has been done outside of DHS that can be readily leveraged. Unfortunately, all of DHS’ decision-making has been outsourced, putting at risk its very mission. Maybe next year. John Weiler Posted March 16, 2007 12:03 PM