Middle East turmoil highlights document security
Middle East turmoil highlights document security
Oct 24, 2005: Just in case there wasn't enough going on there already, the volatile political landscape in the Middle East has taken another battering. This time centring on a 53 page report sent to the Security Council by a UN investigator.
The report accused Syrian officials and their Lebanese allies of assassinating the Lebanese Prime Minster, Rafik al-Hariri and 20 others in a February 14 truck bombing in Beirut, however, at the last minute UN officials deleted key information contained in the accusation. Most importantly, one witness' testimony that Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother and brother-in-law were among the main plotters of Hariri's killing.
This illustrates an important problem confronting the paperless society: compliance and auditing. Documents containing important information, on which potentially huge decisions are made, are easily tainted if proper protective systems are not in place.
In the digital realm, a static un-editable original is required, as well as an audit trail showing who has worked on new copies of the document, and when to ensure transparency and accountability.
In this case, the truth caught a break and people noticed. Reporters noticed. It's not like they were fixing a spelling mistake or two - people are going to notice when you take out a linchpin. Especially when instead of naming names, the final version of the report referred to the alleged plotters in general terms such as "senior Lebanese and Syrian officials." The earlier version states a witness had identified said officials, including Maher Assad, the president's younger brother, and Assef Shawkat, the President's brother-in-law and head of Syrian military intelligence.
Cross referencing the previous Microsoft Word document including UN investigator Detlev Mehlis' report with one that was e-mailed to the media earlier on in the week, the changes must have stuck out like gay Mardi Gras in Kabul. Suffice to say, the document has sent shockwaves across the world with US and UK officials demanding an investigation into the accusations.
Issues surrounding compliance and document security are becoming increasingly important to the way we govern, conduct business and disaster pending - defend ourselves in court. If there is one thing this Syrian situation highlights, it is the importance of a proper audit trail and compliance system.
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