SSIC holds hearing on Talofa Pass

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Senate Select Investigative Committee (SSIC) held a hearing yesterday morning to discuss the contract status between the American Samoa Government (ASG) and Data House Inc., the company responsible for building and maintaining the Talofa Pass system. The hearing also focused on the fate of the data collected while the system was operational.

Committee Chairman Togiola Tulafono noted that during a previous hearing, Data House CEO Ms. Hong Phan stated that upon the conclusion of their contract, all information, including passwords, would be handed over to the American Samoa Government (ASG) as it constitutes government data. Chairman Tulafono inquired whether this transfer had been completed, where the data is currently stored, and who is responsible for its management.

Togiola also highlighted the concerns of several senators regarding complaints from travelers. Many travelers have questioned why they need to register again with the Department of Health (DOH) despite having already provided the same information through the Talofa Pass system.

Testifying were the governor's Chief of Staff Loa Tuimavave Laupola and Data House Accounts Executive Saipai Cassens.

Loa informed the committee that the ASG contract with Data House Inc. ended on August 30th. He mentioned that the Governor’s Office is currently collaborating with Data House to transfer all data and information collected by the company to the government. This transition is being overseen by Ray Tulafono, the Chief Information Officer in the Governor’s Office.

Togiola inquired about the total amount of the contract and whether it had been fully paid. Loa responded that the American Samoa Government (ASG) had completed all payments to Data House Inc., totaling $6 million.

The SSIC chairman recalled that during a previous committee appearance, Data House CEO Ms. Hong Phan testified that all collected data would be transferred to a server on Amazon Web Services (AWS) before being handed over to the American Samoa Government (ASG). He inquired whether this transfer had been completed.

According to Loa, the Governor’s Office is still working closely with Data House to facilitate the data transfer via AWS. He mentioned that the transfer has not yet been completed, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that all information is securely transferred without compromise. 

Ms Cassens said that Data House has fulfilled its part of the contract and ASG is now dealing with AWS as a third party to keep the system in place.

Togiola asked Chief of Staff Loa what steps were necessary to complete the procedure and grant ASG full control over the collected data.

The Chief of Staff reiterated the importance of ensuring that the data storage is secure and that none of the data is compromised during the transfer process.

Senators Magalei Logovii and Satele Lili’o asked why the full amount was paid to DataHouse when the transition of data had not been completed. They felt that ASG should have withheld the final payment until all of the data had been secured under the government’s control.

Togiola inquired whether the government intended to transfer the data to a specific location or if there were plans for the data to remain under the safekeeping of AWS, with the ASG having access to it.

Loa explained that the goal was to transfer all the collected data to the American Samoa Government (ASG). However, he admitted that he did not have all the details of the plan. He suggested that the person best equipped to address the committee’s questions was Ray Tulafono, the Chief Information Officer in the Governor’s Office.

The committee will summon Chief Information Officer Tulafono tomorrow to address their questions.

Today, they will question the Department of Health regarding their registration process for travelers.