# Notice of Public Meeting; National Information Infrastructure OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A94-28820 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Uncategorized Document - **Published:** November 22, 1994 ## Text SUMMARY: The Clinton Administration has announced two public meetings to continue a dialogue between government and the private and public interest sectors on issues related to the security of information on the National Information Infrastructure (NII). Interested parties-- especially those representing subjects, users, or creators of health, education, financial, or insurance information networks--are invited to submit a 1-2 page position statement and request to testify. The meetings are sponsored by the NII Security Issues Forum of the Information Infrastructure Task Force and Mega-Project III of the U.S. Advisory Council on the NII. DATES: The public meeting, ``Security for Financial and Insurance Information in the NII,'' will be held Wednesday, December 7, 1994, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The public meeting, ``Security for Education and Health Information in the NII,'' will be held Thursday, December 8, 1994, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Those wishing to testify should submit a 1-2 page position statement and request to participate by Wednesday, November 30, 1994. Written comments preferably should be submitted in ASCII format and will be accepted until January 20, 1995. Individuals wishing to offer general comments or present questions may request to do so during the meeting. addresses: The December 7 meeting will be held at the Commerce Department Auditorium at 14th and Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. The December 8 meeting will be held at 1849 C Street N.W., Department of Interior Room 5160, Washington, D.C. Position statements and requests to appear for the meeting, ``Security for Financial and Insurance Information in the NII,'' should be sent to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, marked to the attention of Ms. Carmen Sullivan, at 3501 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22226-3500. Position statements may also be submitted via fax to (703) 516-5441 or through electronic mail to ``[email protected]''. Electronic mail should be submitted as unencoded, unformatted, ASCII text. Position statements and requests to appear for the meeting, ``Security for Health and Education Information in the NII,'' should be sent to the Department of Health and Human Services, marked to the attention of Sam Shekar, M.D., at Room 310G, HHH Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201. Position statements may also be submitted to Dr. Shekar vai fax to (202) 690-6262. They may also be submitted through electronic mail to ``Alex-- [email protected]''. Electronic mail should be submitted as unencoded, unformatted, ASCII text. Parties offering testimony are asked to provide them on paper, and where possible, in machine-readable format. Machine-readable submissions may be provided through electronic mail messages sent over the Internet, or on a 3.5'' floppy disk formatted for use in an MS-DOS based computer. Machine-readable submissions should be provided as unencoded, unformatted ASCII text. Written comments should include the following information: Name and organizational affiliation, if any, of the individual responding; An indication of whether comments offered represent views of the respondent's organization or are the respondent's personal views; and If applicable, information on the respondent's organization, including the type of organization (e.g., trade association, private corporation, non-profit organization) and general areas of interest. for further information contact: For further information relating to finance information issues, contact Ms. Carmen Sullivan, Director of Information Resources Management at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, by telephone at (703) 516-5414. For further information relating to insurance information issues, contact Mr. Ken Tucker of the Federal Housing Administration by telephone at (202) 708-4758. For further information relating to health information issues, contact Sam Shekar, M.D., at the Department of Health and Human Services, by telephone at (202) 690-5727. For further information relating to education information issues, contact by Mr. Alex Poliakoff at the Department of Education by telephone at (202) 708-5210. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Issues for Public Comment A. Background The public meetings are part of an ongoing dialogue with the Administration to assess the security needs and concerns of users of the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The NII is a system of high-speed telecommunications networks, databases, and advanced computer systems that will make electronic information--such as insurance and financial products, health and educational records, and communication of both a commercial and non-commercial nature--more widely available and accessible than ever before. This increased availability and accessibility will dramatically affect the way in which information and information services are created, used, and delivered throughout the world. Consequently, broad public and commercial use of the NII hinges upon implementing technologies, policies, and practices that not only ensure that users of information systems have access to information when and where they need it, but that subjects of information records are able to protect themselves from unauthorized or inappropriate use of information. ``Americans will not use the NII to its full potential unless they trust that information will go where and when they want it and nowhere else,'' declared Sally Katzen, Administrator of the Office of Information Regulatory Affairs at OMB and chair of the Forum. ``The Federal government is a primary user of the NII and thus a catalyst for change. Yet the NII will be designed, built, owned, operated, and used primarily by the private sector, making it essential that security on the NII be considered in partnership with the public.'' To address these critical issues, the Vice President formed the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF). The IITF is chaired by Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and is comprised of senior Administration officials having expertise in technical, legal, and policy areas pertinent to the NII. The mission of the IITF is to articulate and implement the Administration's vision for the NII. The NII Security Issues Forum was established within the IITF to address the cross-cutting issue of security in the NII. The Forum is chaired by Sally Katzen, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget. In addition to the IITF, the President has established the U.S. Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure. The Advisory Council represents industry, labor, and public interest groups, and advises the Secretary of Commerce on issues relating to the NII. Mega-Project III, one of three work groups of the Advisory Council, is responsible for addressing security, intellectual property, and privacy issues as they relate to the NII. B. Structure and Content of Public Meeting Security is linked inextricably to broad public use of the NII. The technologies, policies, and procedures used to ensure the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of digitally produced and transmitted information, information products, and services on the NII will determine whether, how, and to what extent digitally linked information services will be broadly used in such critical sectors as health, education, finance, and insurance. Development of policies and procedures that will ensure the security of commercial and non-commercial information and communications on the NII requires study from different perspectives, whether that of the subject of the information, the user of the information, or the creator of the information. The Forum and Mega- Project III seek input from parties who represent these views in the areas of health, education, finance, and insurance. Solutions to these concerns will come vita technical solutions, as well as legal and policy mechanisms. The Forum and Mega-Project III seek input in this area as well. Specifically, what legal measures, policy mechanisms, and technological solutions, or combinations thereof, can be used to effectively protect the security of health, education, financial, and insurance information delivered or made accessible on the NII? A panel of witnesses drawn from the public will be assembled to discuss the following topics with a panel of senior Administration officials, members of the Security Issues Forum, and members of the Advisory Council, and to field questions and comments from other members of the public. Position statements for the meeting, ``Security for Financial and Insurance Information in the NII,'' should address four principal questions: 1. How do you envision the NII being used by the finance and insurance industries to provide enhanced products and services to customers or to improve operations? Specifically, what types of products and services are you contemplating delivering or making available, or would you like to see delivered or made available on the NII? 2. What threats do you foresee in making products and services available via the NII? Such threats might include fraud, unauthorized access, breach of confidentiality or privacy, breach of integrity, and lack of reliability. 3. What legal, policy, and ethical issues do you foresee affecting usage of the NII? Such issues may include liability, information/ property rights, equal access, document/records management, legal admissibility/evidentiary requirements, and auditability. 4. What kinds of administrative or technical solutions are you aware of, or would you like to see developed, to address security, legal, and ethical concerns? Such solutions may include international agreements, criminal laws, public key encryption, and digital signatures. Position statements for the meeting, ``Security for Health and Education Information in the NII,'' should address five principal questions: 1. What enhancements in electronic data transmission, storage, and retrieval are needed to protect the confidentiality of personal health and education information? 2. What enhancements in electronic data transmission, storage, and retrieval are needed to improve data users' access to individual health and education information? 3. How can the NII be constructed to address and satisfy both of these needs simultaneously? 4. What safeguards need to be developed to limit children's access to inappropriate material through the NII? 5. What technical solutions are available, or can be developed, in order to address these data security concerns? II. Guidelines for Participation in the Public Hearing Individuals who would like to participate on a panel must request an opportunity to do so no later than November 30, 1994 by submitting a brief, 1-2 page summary position statement. If approved, each participant will be allowed to present brief opening remarks. Primary participating, however, shall be during the general discussion to follow, according to the format described above. Participants in the public meeting will testify before and participate in discussions with a panel consisting of members of the Advisory Council, members of the Security Issues Forum, and other Administration officials. Individuals not selected as panel participants may offer comments or ask questions of the witnesses by requesting an opportunity to do so and being recognized during the meeting by the chairs of the meetings. Oral remarks offered in this fashion may not exceed three minutes. No advance approval is required to attend the public meetings, offer comments, or present questions. The public meeting on ``Security of Financial and Insurance Information in the NII'' will be co-chaired by Ms. Carmen Sullivan, Director of Information Resources Management of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Ms. Marta Angueira, Controller of the Federal Housing Administration, and Mr. Stephen Malphrus, Director of Information Resources Management at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board. The public meeting on ``Security of Health and Education Information in the NII'' will be co-chaired by Dr. Helen Smits, Deputy Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, and Ms. Linda Roberts, Special Advisor to the Secretary of Education for Technology. More information about the Clinton Administration's National Information Infrastructure initiative can be obtained from the IITF Secretariat. Inquiries may be directed to Yvette Barrett at (202) 482- 1835, by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to U.S. Department of Commerce, IITF Secretariat, NTIA, Room 4892, Washington, D.C., 20230. For inquiries over the Internet to the IITF Gopher Server, gopher, telnet (login=gopher), or anonymous ftp to iitf.doc.gov. Access is also available over the World-Wide-Web. Questions may be addressed to [email protected]. For access by modem, dial (202) 501-1920 and set modem communication parameters at no parity, 8 data bits, and one stop (N,8,1). Modem speeds of up to 14,400 baud are supported. Sally Katzen, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. [FR Doc. 94-28820 Filed 11-21-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3110-01-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A94-28820. Public record. Not legal advice.