Homeland Security Open Source Intelligence Enhancement Act of 2006

This bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase its use of "open-source intelligence," which is information gathered from publicly available sources like news reports, social media, and academic journals. Under this legislation, DHS would be tasked with analyzing this public data to identify potential security vulnerabilities in U.S. critical infrastructure, such as power plants or transportation hubs, from the perspective of a potential attacker. The resulting intelligence and safety recommendations would then be shared with state, local, and private-sector officials to help them better protect community resources and public facilities.