US department uncovers misuse of govt IT gear, funds

In light of the recent controversy over wasteful spending by Australian government officials, an investigation by a US government agency should serve as a cautionary tale.

The US Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General has completed a report into a senior official accused of wasting government IT resources and allowing unauthorised use of computing devices.

According to the report, the official is accused of having at least one government-owned desktop, laptop and tablet at her residence at all times during a 14-month period and having at least seven devices at home for a 6-month time span.

The official was able to have new devices issued to her by reporting issues including cracked screens and lost devices, but consistently failed to return the old devices upon getting a replacement.

The report states that the official allowed family members to regularly access government computing devices issued to her, in the process downloading large amounts of inappropriate content including pornography, games and racially insensitive content.

Besides the misappropriation of public funds, the misuse of the devices by the official and her family posed security issues associated with the downloading and installation of unauthorised content.

The probe also uncovered evidence that the official had tried to hide evidence by locking and remotely wiping an iPad after it had been turned in to investigators.

It urges the department to consider “taking appropriate administrative action” against the official.

The report is relevant to Australia considering the recent uproar over the revelation that former speaker Bronwyn Bishop had expensed a $5000 helicopter charter for a trip from Melbourne to Geelong, along with other disputed travel expenses.

To make the parallels even clearer, the report also finds that the US official had sought reimbursement on a flight itinerary that included non-official travel plans, leading the government to overpay for her travel expenses by around US$1365 ($1957).

Image courtesy of Tori Rector under CC