Homeland security officials go on high alert when X-rays detect mysterious metal objects inside cargo containers bound for the United States. African customs officials react similarly when they detect deliveries of black-market sugar, an import that can undermine the fragile economies of small sub-Saharan nations.

Because countries define and prioritize security threats differently, international efforts that harness technology to secure borders and combat terrorism must factor in a host of cultural, political and economic issues. Because U.S. homeland security funding is limited and terrorist threats are so vast, the need to spread the workload more equally among other countries is crucial.

Federal efforts to increase international cooperation abound. For example, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is working with a global standards-making group to speed data exchange. Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Department is giving other governments a stronger voice in data-sharing and privacy decisions to foster more cooperation. And the Defense Department is more willing to let NATO and European Union countries lead some communications projects.

The leaders of those initiatives often find that technical challenges pale in comparison to geopolitical and social issues.

"The technology has existed for many years now to ensure a smooth exchange of information between [international] IT systems," said Dietmar Jost, senior technical officer at the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels, Belgium. "So clearly, technology has not been the obstacle to such undertakings. It is more the readiness and preparedness of the individual countries."

Reaching out

Largely because of its work with WCO, CBP is considered to be one of the most advanced agencies in efforts that foster international cooperation in anti-terrorism information technology.

"Customs has indeed made efforts in this respect, but I'm afraid that it remains the exception rather than the rule," said Mathieu Deflem, an associate professor at the University of South Carolina whose research specialties include international law enforcement, counterterrorism and technology.