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USDA took eight years to block porn sites on its employees' computers

It took eight years for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) to block its employees and subcontractors from viewing pornography using agency computers while at work.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2010/04/sec-absorbed-porn-during-economic-crisis/

“Since 2015, the [Office of the Chief Information Officer] has referred 229 [Agriculture Security Operations Center] ‘network usage notice’ referrals to USDA OIG involving USDA employees and/or contractors accessing websites on government equipment which contain pornography and possible child pornography,” wrote Assistant Inspector General Ann Coffey, pictured at the top.

Her report is attached here:

https://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/Mgmt_Alert_Memo_20170929.pdf

“This employee misconduct is preventable, and it unnecessarily exposes USDA and its systems to significant risk", said Coffey.

Last week, the USDA finally blocked more than 400 social media sites that the agency's employees and subcontractors were using to watch pornography while working on agency computers.

Coffey will testify today at 1:30 p.m. before the Congressional House Appropriations Committee regarding her findings.

https://appropriations.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=395126

Coffey also found in September that cybersecurity remains a material weakness at the USDA.

https://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/50501-0015-12.pdf

Other federal agencies, like the National Science Foundation (NSF), have had similar problems and have yet to drain their pornographic swamp.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/sec-pornography-employees-spent-hours-surfing-porn-sites/story?id=10452544&page=1

Coffey was appointed Assistant Inspector General for Investigations on April 5, 2015.

http://www.roigi.org/news/folks/ann_coffey.php