Recent news reports have detailed the potential of new leaks of highly sensitive government data. What are the implications on the government contractor?

Advancements in leveraged technologies over the past several decades have accelerated the federal government’s outsourcing of critical services to the private sector believing that partnering with private sector firms offers tremendous value and operational efficiency. Privatization—defined here as the use of private-sector firms to assist the federal (and state) government, and its agencies, in the advancement and fulfilment of goods and services—has been in existence since the formation of the U.S. government in 1789. Today, U.S. government contractors are inextricably linked to the federal government, its agencies, and the constituents which they collectively serve.

With this linkage, private sector companies find themselves entrusted with access to highly sensitive data and information, which is needed to perform the services or provide the products detailed within the specifications of the contract. Even in circumstances where the original information is not sensitive or classified, government contractors are at risk of innocently transforming data into classified or sensitive materials by bringing together bulk data into aggregated sets.