Are you concerned about computer security? Are you concerned that personal and confidential information may be leaked to someone with the intention of using that information in a negative way?

What is it? The Computer Security Act of 1987 was the first real attempt by the United States government to legislate information in the federal government’s computer systems. The general objective was to protect and defend the confidential information of the systems and to provide security to that information.

Basically, what is private must remain private. The Computer Security Act of 1987 puts a check on federal computer systems. And it has paved the way for the future of limited public access to government information.

The National Bureau of Standards, now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), took control of creating a strategy to develop certain standards to protect any information. The Computer Security Act of 1987 required the National Bureau of Standards to create an absolute minimum of acceptable security practices.

According to the Computer Security Act of 1987, computer-related security plans had to be created, and people using those systems had to receive appropriate training.

Why did the Computer Security Act 1987 originate? At one point, the United States Congress was concerned about the vulnerability of computer databases. Could information be leaked? How possible were security breaches? Could there be a threat to national security if some information leaked and fell into the wrong hands?

It was at this point that Congress decided to investigate the issues and see how vulnerable government computers really were.

What does the Computer Security Act of 1987 do? The Computer Security Act of 1987 created an advisory council, made up of twelve members, which sits a minimum of three times during the year. The board would report to Congress, the National Security Council, and others.

Government law prevents confidential information from being disclosed, but it also prohibits the withholding of any information that is requested due to the Freedom of Information Act. And the Computer Security Act of 1987 does not allow restrictions, limitations, or regulations on the disclosure, collection, sale, or use of public domain or proprietary information.

Results of the Computer Security Act of 1987 To date, there have been no reports of major information leaks or threats to national security. But, libraries have reported that various government agencies, such as NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense, have not released as many documents to the public as they did before the Computer Security Act of 1987.

Since the Computer Security Act of 1987 was passed, it has now been superseded by the Federal Information Security Administration Act of 2002, which broadens the scope of computer and network security.