FTC Commissioner Orson Swindle Appointed Chair of Us Delegation to OECD Experts Group

Federal Trade Commissioner Orson Swindle's appointment as the head of the U.S. delegation to the OECD Experts Group for Review of the 1992 OECD Guidelines for the Security of Information Systems (the Security Guidelines) was announced yesterday at the Group's first meeting in Washington, D.C. The Experts Group is charged with the mission of reviewing the Security Guidelines and reporting their recommendations to the OECD Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP). Delegates to the Experts Group include government representatives from OECD member countries and representatives of industry and consumer interests. The U.S. delegation is comprised of representatives from the FTC and the Departments of State, Commerce, Justice and Treasury. The original Security Guidelines, adopted in 1992, were issued prior to the explosive growth of the Internet and e-commerce. Their provisions have become particularly relevant since the tragedies of September 11.

Chairman Timothy J. Muris said, "I am pleased with the appointment of Commissioner Swindle, because it highlights the importance of security in a networked world, particularly in light of recent events. The OECD's work in this area raises awareness of the need for adequate security to address the vulnerabilities and threats to government and business operations and to consumers who rely on network systems." During the Experts Group meeting yesterday, Commissioner Swindle expressed the United States view that "technological developments, together with recent world events, have focused us on the important role of information networks in our overall security" and that "examining security policy issues is an important and, indeed, an essential exercise for the international community."

The Federal Trade Commission, at which Commissioner Swindle is entering the fifth year of a seven-year Presidential appointment, unveiled an aggressive privacy agenda in October which focuses on many of the same consumer information, security, and privacy issues as the OECD.

Both the issue of the Security Guidelines and the OECD organization are familiar to Commissioner Swindle. At the FTC, he has been directly involved in the Commission's privacy and security issues including Internet e-commerce and communications security. While serving as Assistant Secretary of Commerce (1986 -1989), he worked on OECD issues for the United States. Additionally, Commissioner Swindle has a distinguished military career, serving in Vietnam and as a POW.

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