Years ago, while teaching a course to MBA students at Rice University, I used the Target credit card breach as a case study. It touched a lot of bases. Now we have a better one.
While there have been a lot of information governance-related stories in the news over the past two years, including Equifax and Facebook and VW and Wells Fargo, my nominee for the one name associated with the most significant teaching example in information governance and compliance is the former FBI Director, James Comey.
First, he gave us The Day That Information Governance Died, with his July 5, 2016 pronouncement that, notwithstanding her clear violations of several applicable legal laws dealing with the handling of confidential or secret information (and the destruction of information subject to a subpoena), Secretary Hillary Clinton’s use (and wiping) of a private server to store government email was not going to be prosecuted. Such a pronouncement deviated “‘from well-established Department policies'” that the FBI does not comment about ongoing criminal investigations.
Then he wrote a memo ostensibly commemorating a meeting he had with his boss on government business on a government computer (while in a government vehicle) during the work day, and declared that that was his personal correspondence that he could (and did) distribute as he pleased.
And now we learn that he conducted government business over his own private gmail account {that information does not appear in the WSJ article – Ed.}, and actively avoid his boss’ oversight (and his bosses failed to adequately supervise him). “Report Blasts FBI Agents, Comey Over Clinton Probe,” The Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2018 A1. Inspector General releases his report on the Clinton Investigation.
Recap:
- Violations of law are not enforced
- Evidence is destroyed notwithstanding a subpoena
- Senior employees ignore long-standing policy
- Senior employees treat documents prepared by them in the course of business as their personal information
- Senior employees use private email accounts to transact government business
- Employees hide things from their bosses
- Bosses failed to adequately supervise their reports
And this is at the FBI, by a lawyer.
Does anyone wonder why we have a hard time getting traction on information governance initiatives? Certainly an argument for an Information Governance case study of just the Clinton email investigation and its aftermath. Not sure you could cover it all in one semester, at both law schools and business schools.
infogovnuggets 