Hi Jaime,
Here are responses to your questions:
1. Can InfraGard access college students’ records to protect against cyber-crime attacks? What about the protections students have under FERPA? Could students legally be prosecuted in court under the Patriot Act for data obtained via InfraGard?
Answer: As previously explained, InfraGard is made up of individual members, not organizations. InfraGard is an FBI outreach program with the mission of fostering an information-sharing partnership between the private and public sectors for the purpose of protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure.
2. Has InfraGard been used to access college students records, data, communications, etc. before for national security reasons?
Answer: No. InfraGard is made up of individual citizens interested in protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure. It is not used for investigative activity.
3. Does InfraGard share information with any other agency besides the FBI? What type of unclassified information have they shared about college students? Do they provide information about college students?
Answer: Again, InfraGard is not used to access information about college students. The FBI is part of the intelligence community and does share information with other agencies if warranted.
4. Is InfraGard part of the FBI? What exactly is the relationship there?
Answer: InfraGard is an FBI outreach program. It is a public-private partnership that shares information about critical infrastructure. It brings together subject matter experts from the public and private sectors to help protect our nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources from attacks by terrorists, criminals and others who wish us harm. It’s a partnership that makes sense because most U.S. infrastructure components, such as utility companies, transportation systems, telecommunication networks, water and food suppliers, public health and financial services, are privately owned.
Kind regards,
Jenny
