Information and the transparency of information will continue to be at the center of investigations on Wall Street, the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) or any other highly regulated Critical Infrastructure industry.
"Who knew what when" is the mantra being repeated in various command posts and within task forces who are responsible now for insuring the safety and security of future employees of these firms but also the national security of the U.S..
"Insider Risk" of leaked information is at an all time high, whether you are in the "C" suite in Manhattan or the "Situation Room" on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Information is the lifeblood of any highly functioning organization whether in the private sector or government agencies. Protecting that information of leaks to third parties who do not have a need to know, is the crux of the "Insider Trading" cases on Wall Street or even the comments made within the confines of the situation room during Bin Laden's operation.
So why do people want to tell another person something that they know is forbidden? Why do they risk sharing information with the media or others who may not have a legitimate reason to know the information?
And what about the opposite? Withholding information from the public or others who have a need to know the information, especially if it will save lives or keep the country out of harms way.
The decisions to tell or withhold information has serious consequences in either case and requires a mechanism for making sure that humans know when it is right and wrong.
Unfortunately, we live today in a world of information warfare and information operations that spans the globe from Hollywood to Kabul or London to Hong Kong.
So what?
The "Human Factors" motivation for withholding or sharing information has been studied for decades if not hundreds of years. The gratification one receives from telling another a secret only known to one person or a few provides the stimulus.
Whether that human gratification is the result of seeing someone else in pain or suffering, surprise or elation doesn't really matter. Recognizing that humans thirst for information is relentless when it comes to being first, or to gain power can provide you with the understanding to better prepare your organization for "Information Operations" (IO).
Effective Operational Risk Management (ORM) begins with understanding information and ends with protecting or sharing information.
It's your challenge to determine what is real truth and what is just another narrative to influence your perception as a human being.
As we approach our 247 years of “The United States of America”, read our Declaration of Independence…
Happy 4th of July!
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