ANDERSON SENDS LETTER TO GOOGLE CEO OVER ISSUES WITH FISMA CERTIFICATION.

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The following information was released by California State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth:

Dear Mr. Page:

As a member of the California State Senate who sits on the Senate Sub-Committee on Privacy, and is very interested in internet security issues, I respectfully request that you clarify your company's position on the claims made in recent news stories about Google.

It is my understanding that while attempting to secure operating contracts with government agencies, Google stated on a marketing page that its "Google Apps for Government" platform had been certified by the General Service Administration to be in accordance with security standards promulgated by the Federal Information Security Management Act. Recently, it has been asserted this claim was a misrepresentation, and "Google Apps for Government" is not, in fact, officially certified.

The Los Angeles Times reported: "Google said that the consumer and business versions of its office software -- Google Apps -- did receive the federal certification in July, and that its government version is essentially the same product, only with further security enhancements." Would you please clarify whether or not the "Google Apps for Government" platform, specifically, has been certified to meet security standards set forth in the FISMA by the GSA, as stated on your company's website?

Secondly, a recent article in Politico reported concerns over "whether Google's email service, Gmail, has the security features necessary for [Los Angeles'] 13,000 police department employees, among others." What inadequate security features, if any, prevent the migration of these employees to the Gmail system?

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Joel Anderson

Senator