By

Laura Strickler /

CBS/ January 27, 2010, 1:29 PM

More Passport Files Breached

CBS News Investigative producer Laura Strickler wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

Nine "high profile" passport files were accessed more than a hundred times according to a new report from the State Department's Inspector General. Officials will not reveal the list of "high profile" individuals whose passports were repeatedly accessed but CBS News has learned that one of the most frequently accessed files was that of musician Beyonce Knowles.

The authors of the report took a sample list of 150 celebrities and found 127 files were accessed a total of 4,148 times in a six year period. One high profile individual's passport file was accessed 356 times by 77 different users. The report says it did not determine if those who accessed the passport files were authorized to do so.

The Inspector General's report indicated the agency's oversight of passport files had "many control weaknesses including a general lack of policies, procedures, guidance, and training". The agency was also criticized for having no standardized response or disciplinary process for employees who breach personal files.

This spring, news broke that the passport files of presidential candidates such as Senator Barack Obama (D-Il), Senator John McCain (R-Ariz) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) had been accessed by contractors for the State Department. In response, the Inspector General for the State Department examined how often celebrity files were accessed.

Over 20,000 federal employees and government contractors have access to 127 million passport files.

The State Department agreed with 19 of the Inspector General's 22 recommendations.
Laura Strickler
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved.
39 Comments Add a Comment
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deacon20081 says:
Relax if the government doesn''t know where you have been the countries you visit will tell them anyawy.
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docadams3 says:
JTait2... no more free rides for the wealthy. You need to check your facts on who the benefits go to now.
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clovisbuford says:
LET THEM KNOW YOU WANT HILLARY!!!!!-
Posted by JTait2 at 07:23 PM : Jul 05, 2008
This copy and paste posting is on every article on CBS..This troll must get paid by the posting ..Hillary wants debt relief from Obama,this troll wants your vote for Mccain
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keithle1 says:
So they know what countries you visited. Big whoop.
Are you going back & forth to North Korea & Cuba?
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meganthatch says:
Are you on the affected list? check you''re name www.theseriouspolice.com
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tootall10142 says:
WHAT REALLY GETS TO ME IS WHY DO THEY CONSIDER A CELEBERTY TO BE HIGH PROFILE?
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tootall10142 says:
When thse security systems were put in place the authoritues didnt have reason to believe any one really cared what was in the files. The times present and ahead us demand more of the good to stop the bad.The authorities are on this matter im sure. they better be before the proverbial evil runs away with these peoples monies and identifacation.
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swwils says:
Someone needs too breach these canidates passports so they can see what countries they have frequented.Could be visiting our worst enemy on a regular basis.I am a firm believer in if you have nothing too hide then don''t worry about trivial matters.Some big dog in the NSA,or CIA or what ever agency was concerned ordered up an investigation into this ,and they will never find out who it was.God Bless America!
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buzzymalarky says:
What is a "proverbial" sickbed. Is it a sick bed? Or is it something relating to a proverb about a sick bed? Typical left wing moron dropping thesaurus words in an attempt to elevate his moronic lack of intellectual capacity. My God you are stupid!
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miles1967-2009 says:
McCain divorced his first wife on her proverbial sickbed. What kind of person divorces the woman who waited for him to return from the war, and concealed her own life-threatening car crash injuries for his benefit? McCain married his current millionaire heiress beer-distributor wife, 17 years his junior, one month after dumping Carol Shepp McCain, who, as Sen. McCain so gallantly put it, "was on crutches and had gained quite a bit of weight."

"In his book, The Nightingale''s Song, Robert Timberg chronicled McCain''s post-Vietnam military assignments and some of his "adulterous" behavior leading to his divorce from Carol and marriage to Cindy Hensley. "

"While Executive Officer and later as Squadron Commander McCain used his authority to arrange frequent flights that allowed him to carouse with subordinates and "engage in extra-marital affairs." Such behavior was a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice rules against adultery and fraternization with subordinates... "

You can read the whole sad story here.

http://www.usvetdsp.com/mcaindiv.htm

I don''t know how any woman could vote for this two timer and still look in the mirror every morning.

This time, instead of voting against abortion and gay marriage, and for prayer and guns (these issues will never go away) -- vote for your wallet , vote for the economy, vote for the environment, vote for jobs.

Vote Democratic 2008 -- don''t let the corporations and their Republican stooges win again
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