Report details snooping in celebrity passport files

A State Department probe finds that in a sample of 150 famous subjects, most of their files had been viewed in the last six years; nine had been opened more than 100 times. By Paul Richter | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON - A federal investigation of unauthorized snooping into government passport files has found evidence that such breaches may be far more common than previously disclosed, and the State Department inspector general is calling for an overhaul of the program's management. In a report issued Thursday, the inspector general found "many control weaknesses" in the department's administration program, including what investigators said was a lack of sound policies on training staff, accessing electronic records and disciplining workers who break privacy rules. The investigation was launched in March after... [read full story]