Introduction
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a specialized force, which offers related support to the Air Force wing in the US. Preciously, this body supports communications, transportation missions, intelligence and natural disasters aftermaths such as aerial spray of mosquitoes and hurricane occurrences (Air Force Reserve Command, n.d.).
Notably, AFRC has to manage its information delivery systems during their operations in order to maintain its image and confidence to the public and its joint partners. Therefore, information requires high level of security to guard against leakage to the wrong parties. For instance, some information are deemed as private such that unauthorized and unauthenticated access by the public may cause instability in the nation while other pieces of information can easily be left for public access.
Private information, which are in the internet can be password protected. AFRC has outlined some of its set standards that information availability and distribution has to follow. These standards enable AFRC through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to uphold democracy in the society, accountability of leaders to the public, and monitor against vices like corruption.
Identifying ISS for AFRC
AFRC requires that agencies like military or government departments handling various information has to follow some well guided procedures in order to release it to the general public. For example, a given agency before publishing information on a federal register must state its content so that the public can comprehend the information.
This also involves location, methods and means by which the public can access the information for further action. The public inclusion involves interpretations and channels, which information must follow to the target destination. Remarkably, the outlined issues assist AFRC in ensuring that only the required classes of persons access the information. Moreover, the agency must avail information to the public for inspection and copying before final publication (Freedom of Information Act, n.d.).
The information may be that which affect a member of the forces. They do this to acquire varied and dissenting views regarding the intended publication. On the other hand, the agency can erase sensitive information that may be personal to prevent unauthorized access. The act of deleting some or all parts of the data must be explained succinctly in a written form in the published documents.
The agencies must also publish and distribute supplements that are considered practicable and necessary by order in the Federal Register. Certainly, AFRC applies high security regarding the information they have to release to the public.
Additionally, AFRC follows a specified rule in regards to allowing an individual to access any information. The rule clarifies on the timing fee and location under which the body can authenticate one to view the data. Although one has a right to get access to any agency records, there is an exemption that prohibits information access by the public.
If on request for information availability on a format that is already available, the agency is free to supply such information on a format that is reproducible. Availing records in electronic form is preferred if such act does not alters or interferes with the agency’s automated information systems (Freedom of Information Act, n.d.). The agency ensures that it maintains its records in line with this provision. Pieces of information are extremely guarded to enhance privacy and safety.
The agencies according to the National Security Act of 1947 are not allowed to reveal or avail any record to a government body or its representative except territory or districts of the US. In line with this provision, each agency must formulate policies and regulations on how to levy a specified fee upon accepting to make such records available to the public and even establish conditions or scenarios when such fees can be removed or reduced (Freedom of Information Act, n.d.).
The Directors Office of Management and Budget ensures that the fees levied on such cases are uniform to all the agencies. The uniformity of the fee charged shall specify the intention of the request; for instance, commercial use or non-commercial use such as scientific research. Alternatively, the act asserts that a minimum charge can be levied on information that attracts public interest or attention that is, it can essentially help the public to understand the operation of their government.
The fee charged under this request only includes the direct cost that was incurred in the reproduction of these records. Again, a request that has more than one hundred pages attracts no fee for the first one hundred pages that is duplicated. Fee advancement is prohibited except if the requester had at one time faulted fee payment on a timely basis or the fee to be charged exceeds $250 (Freedom of Information Act., n.d.). From the above fee applications and exemptions, AFRC guards unauthorized information reproducibility.
Moreover, the AFRC does not use an individual’s personal information for any other activity apart from responding to a person’s questions (The Presence of Commercial/External Links, n.d.). The body also advices people not to provide their personal details only if required by the Social Security Administration.
Further, it gives the process of disabling session cookies so that statistical information collected are solely used for identifying designs of systems, network trafficking, frequency of information accessibility and performance of systems.
Comparing ISS
All these ISS are meant to avert any computer abuse and fraud. The infrastructure computers are meant to provide information to all stakeholders. These services may include communication and transport services, health and clean water supply, and banking services.
Therefore, ISS helps in eliminating cases of cybercrimes in organizations; for instance, organizations will update their policies concerning cyber security. In case of such felony, the victim is imprisoned for the terms that are outlined in the National Security Section. The US Air force wing will be able to track any intruder who can be accessing the states and federal governments’ security details (The Presence of Commercial/External Links, n.d.).
Likewise, these ISS help to protect privacy of people’s details. For example, details of an employee like payment rates and level of education can cause discrimination at the workplace if accessed by a third party.
As a result, these records should be password protected. Both the private and public sectors are collaborating to create awareness on cyber security among the internet users. Comparing, the last information security system and that of allowing one to access data from already kept records; it is evident that AFRC aims at ensuring high security level for all the national data that it controls.
In addition, in analyzing the fees levied on information releases, the US Air Force wing is trying to uphold the nation’s integrity on certain sensitive information. Besides, ISS shows that extremely sensitive pieces of information are password protected. Therefore, these ISS are maintaining the security of data or records that they keep (Freedom of Information Act., n.d.).
When they do this, an unauthenticated and an unauthorized information access is denied or kept at bay. In case one is tracked to be using some data for commercial purposes he/she faces a court proceeding for the wrongful act.
Contrasting ISS
In analyzing the first and the third ISS outlined, information access is given a well guided procedure by the former but the latter offers a way out that people can easily access sensitive issues.
Precisely, those who have funds can easily access the nation’s sensitive information at the expense of those who have no ready funds. Obviously, this shows discrimination in terms of socio-economic status. This act if not handled carefully can lead to a massive revolution that will demand for equality in service delivery to the public.
The ISS upholds privacy of data. However, the act of monitoring people as they access information in the internet shows that privacy is at the same time not upheld. This is a great contrary to the ISS that AFRC has put forward in a ‘blanket’ manner.
The idea of tracking for the purpose of collecting statistical data is revoking the same provisions of information security as it results to tracking (The Presence of Commercial/External Links, n.d.). From this point of view, information in the World Wide Web seems to expose a person’s privacy such as location and computer information like internet protocol address.
Although AFRC has made tremendous steps towards achieving total information protection, it still requires a leveled review that would avoid certain sensitive and contradictory scenarios that have been noticed above.
References
Air Force Reserve Command. (n.d.). United States Military Information. Web.
Freedom of Information Act. (n.d.). Air Force Reserve Command. Web.
The Presence of Commercial/External Links. (n.d.). Air Force Reserve Command. Web.