Audit: Passport privacy controls absent

WASHINGTON, July 4 (UPI) -- Nosy government workers repeatedly viewed high profile but private passport records at the U.S. State Department without authorization, a federal report said.

The report by the State Department's inspector general documented a lack of controls on the personal data of the 127 million Americans with passports, finding numerous "weaknesses, including a general lack of policies, procedures, guidance and training," The Washington Post reported Friday.

The State Department initiated the audit after it was revealed three of the department's contract workers accessed private passport files of Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., and a trainee examined the file of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

The audit indicated some workers were simply fascinated with the private lives of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans, none of whom were identified. One celebrity's records were accessed 356 times by more than 72 people.

The inspector general made 22 recommendations for improving security, but many were blacked out for fear they would offer a guide for further abuse, the Post said.

Five department contractors have been fired and dozens of other people are under investigation.

When the scandal broke in March, officials said the department maintained a list of "flagged files" to ensure records of high-profile individuals weren't breached. Investigators found the list, since expanded, contained only 38 people, and lacked a specific process for inclusion.

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