Using Consumer Data to Hunt Terrorists

A reader writes: "Our biggest privacy issues might not be Internet auditors after all. The federal government may be using consumer data to hunt for terrorists, including private information with the cooperation of companies or individual employees. Apparently an IT/marketing employee turned over buying records from a national grocery store chain to investigators and the company hid that violation from its customers. The story mentions, toward the end, the Gilmore lawsuit that was discussed on /. but goes way beyond that issue. http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/baard.php "

Comments

What kind of "terrorists"?

[Soul-Burn666]

Do they mean terrorists that blow up stuff or "terrorists" that download things illegaly?

I can't really tell.

Inch by inch...

[Analog Penguin]

...our rights erode away. When will enough people pick up on what's going on to actually SAY or DO something about it? Maybe you can call this a small step from yesterday (I don't), but when are we going to stop and look at how many "small steps" we've taken??

A Colossal Breach of Trust and Waste of Time

[Blind Linux]

By harvesting consumer data, the Federal Government not only encroaches on our fundamental rights and freedoms of privacy but is frittering away its' time and funds that could be spent on much more fruitful ventures. The last thing we need is to have our groceries screened for possible terrorist applications... I mean, why in God's name would there be something sold in a grocery store that would help Osama and his ilk?!??
This new move by the Bush Administration is in violation of our constitution and everything America stands for. Is this his best Gorbachev impression, or something?
The fact is, this 'war on terror', if it is to be waged at all, should not target the American civilians who are funding it, let alone in such a redundant and violating way.

Re:A Colossal Breach of Trust and Waste of Time

[Blind Linux]

This is true. I considered mentioning this... but the fact of the matter is that most everyday Americans need box cutters, knives and rat poison for legitimate reasons. The funding needed to investigate such petty things is ridiculous... let alone the time. If the terrorist threat is so large, surely we should spend more time investigating it rather than every Tom, Dick and Harry who needs to open a box, get rid of some rodents or cut up some fruit.
Thanks for the input though, you're quite right.

Better Title

[gunner800]

"Terrorism Used as Excuse to Hoard Consumer Data".

When will we stop acting surprised, and start acting to prevent this crap?

Straw into Gold?

[InfoGeek]

LMAO. Please. I'm supposed to be worried by this? Loyalty card programs have been around a while and have become infamous for generating huge heaps of useless data. Two years ago Safeway in Great Britain dropped its program because "We were collecting an awful lot of data that didn't mean anything".(WSJ, 6/19/02).

Now some marketing drone has foisted what is quite likely an equally worthless heap of data onto the Feds. Am I supposed to be worried that they'll be any better at data mining? I'm more worried about what they'll miss while they're wasting my tax dollars writing code to find out who bought falafel with their Pampers.

Don't call EFF. Call John Stossel and Citizens Against Government Waste (http://www.cagw.org)

When are people going to realize

[voodoo1man]

how potentially harmful archives of this data can be in the right hands. Something as innocent as 100 year old marriage and baptismal records was used to systematically identify and round up hundreds of thousands of people for extermination, using nothing more than punch-card sorters.

In the future, these archives may very well be used to produce lists of "undesirables"; your shopping records can be used to extract lifestyle and health information, and even identify your religion (ex. - Kosher products for Jews, no alcohol or pork for Muslims, and Vegan for Hindus.)