According to a report by Jupiter Media, the US Department of the Interior has been ordered to disconnect from the Internet because the department refused to cooperate with security auditors. In 1999 American Indian tribes filed suit against the department alleging that it didn't take appropriate measures to protect Indian land royalty funds. A US District Judge appointed a master to oversea an audit process; the auditors successfully broke into department computer systems. The judge then ordered the department to disconnect from the Internet until appropriate measures were put in place to protect the systems. After measures were in place, the department was allowed to reconnect to the Internet. However, the auditors wanted to perform additional testing in June, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to allow it, citing cost factors and uncertainty about guidelines to determine security. So the District Judge ordered the department to disconnect again, with a few exceptions for certain types of computer systems.
