The case of the disappearing webpage

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 19, 2001 | by John Elvin

The federal government "is feverishly erasing an untold number of pages from its official Websites," according to a report in the National Journal. Agencies have been deleting pages describing fuel pipelines, nuclear reactors, chemical plants and defense operations, among other material such as maps of waterways, bridges and dams. The deletions apparently are a somewhat spontaneous and uncoordinated reaction to the terrorist threat. The move has sparked protests from watchdog, media, public-interest, environmental and library groups.

Particularly distressing to some of those groups, it seems, is the removal of information on 15,000 company Websites around the country where dangerous chemicals are stored. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had required the companies to provide the information for public viewing, along with details of their evacuation plans in the event of problems. Security experts have called the material "a road map for terrorists." One of the watchdog groups, OMB Watch, has continued to post the material deleted by EPA despite protests from the chemical industry and others who charge that the group is playing into the hands of terrorists.

News organizations such as ABC News seem to be taking some delight in exposing sensitive details of government security when they can locate that information on the World Wide Web. ABC has reported on the locations and layouts of bunkers set up for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, including information about their water supplies.

It is distressing but true, as this columnist has learned in interviews with those familiar with the problem, that this nation is awash in potentially dangerous chemicals used in industry and research. These materials may be secure in the conventional sense -- safe from routine theft or tampering -- but the evidence is clear that our adversaries are not using conventional or routine tactics.

JOHN ELVIN IS A NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT FOR Insight MAGAZINE.