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Senate Wants Database Dragnet

Posted by samzenpus on from the big-brother dept.

Doc Ruby writes "Wired reports that the "Senate could pass a bill as early as Wednesday evening that would let government counter-terrorist investigators instantly query a massive system of interconnected commercial and government databases that hold billions of records on Americans".

5 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. Good enough? by slashrogue · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "A lot of (task force members) were very uncomfortable about data sharing," Farber said. "But all of us at the end felt confident that if the recommendations were followed, it was as good as it was going to get relative to privacy protections."

    As good as it's going to get is exactly how good again?

  2. I always said that... by marktaw.com · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I always said that Carnivore / Echelon / TIA probably resembles Google. That's what I would do if I were the government. Then it doesn't matter what format the information is in, web enable it, publish it and spider it. *poof* your database on everything law enforcement knows about everyone, without having to worry about integrating disparate systems across government (local and federal) agencies.

    Didn't http://www.google-watch.org/ say that one of Google's top people came from the Department of Defense?

  3. Tips and Tricks? by vettemph · · Score: 5, Interesting
    We need to come up with a "How To Blend In" document that teaches folks how to limit trackable transactions, make all your travel look like company business and vacations, where to find the books you want without anyone knowing your reading them and so forth. ie.:Imagine how hard it would be for the cops to give speeding tickets if every one of us drove a "black sedan". BLEND IN!

    Of course we also need to figure out how to fill the database with so many fake "flags" that it becomes useless.

    now where is that silver hat i usually wear?

    --
    The government which is strong enough to protect you from everything is strong enough to take everything from you.
  4. last thing i heard.... by drfrog · · Score: 3, Interesting

    americans werent the problem

    are they actually admitting that america too has carried out acts of terrorism?

    --
    back in the day we didnt have no old school
  5. remember everyone by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Interesting

    sept 11th was executed with box cutters

    box cutters people

    no amount of technological edge can defeat a few determined a**holes and a simple idea

    we can spend 10 trillion on all sorts of technological doodads to fight terror

    i just wonder what the next simple box cutters-level work around exploit will be

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it