The Importance of the Information Security Policy in the Local Government

Information security policies are essential for all levels of government. Local governments are responsible for protecting not only citizens' information, but the information about government functions and relationships with other public and private entities.

Facts

• Information security is a type of business function of local governments, as they collect and store personal and private information on citizens and government services departments. Examples include: permits and licenses, birth and death archives, medical records, security plans, municipal enforcement information and legal and court documents.

  Established policies to monitor and control information security, as well as having a response plan in place, is critical for a government's accountability.

Types

• Examples of security breach risks include disabled government websites; computer viruses infecting physical computers; destruction of physical records and archives; citizens' identity and personal information stolen; loss of confidence in employees or the information retrieval system itself; and the destruction or tampering of important information.

Significance

• Compromised information of any sort can lead to a loss of the public's confidence of the government in place. Tampered or lost information can be a liability for both government and citizens, leading to possible identity theft for individuals or security breaches for government.