Slashdot Mirror
Senate Wants Database Dragnet
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".
I've resisted wearing my tinfoil hat, now I'm wearing one, and putting one around all my personal information as well.
would let government counter-terrorist investigators instantly query a massive system of interconnected commercial and government databases that hold billions of records on Americans
OMG! They gave the government access to google!
The Senate will likely have its final vote on the bill, sponsored by Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), Wednesday night.
As I said before, don't trust any of the major parties to safeguard your privacy. This may, however, close the lack of information sharing between the agencies leading up to 9/11 that people bitched about.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
Isn't it a little late to be reporting this? How are we supposed to Slashdot Congress at this late hour?
Many have trouble accurately querying databases within the same company. If these government agencies have the brain power (internal or contracted) to pull this off then they can have my information.
Michalangelo Progr
I hear that they are going to save money by hosting the entire database in a couple of GMail accounts.
When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
Oh wait, they have to find some "October surprise" dirt on the challenger before the November election!
Now it makes sense.
Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.
"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?
I'm pretty certain there are millions of records of personnal information on us foreigners in those many many databases, too. Nice to see how highly we're regarded by the current US Administration :( Especially when we have no say in how these informations can be (mis)handled.
Maybe we deserve this world ?
"To prevent abuses of the system, the Markle task force recommended anonymized technology, graduated levels of permission-based access and automated auditing software constantly hunting for abuses."
Who is going to audit the auditing software? Who gets to assign permissions? How can this be anonymized? Why are these just recommendations?
"The proposed network would not look for patterns in data warehouses to attempt to detect terrorist activities, Dempsey said. Instead, an investigator would start with a name and the system would try to see what information is known about that person."
Ok, so it's not a "dragnet," but a "dossier net" that just keeps a file on everybody synthesized from government and commercial data. I fail to see how this could possibly detect someone using a false name, who does not want to be found and probably doesn't use credit cards.
"The next Mohammed Atta is not going to be found in commercial databases," Griffin said, referring to the tactical leader of the 9/11 attacks. "We are going to stop him running a red light somewhere, and we are going to run relationships associations with this guy and we are going to say, gee, you have things in common with guys on watch lists. That's how you are going to find the guy -- not because he has bad credit.""
Riiiight. How many people would match up to these arbitrary watch lists? How many more middle eastern folks are gonna be pulled over again and again and questioned again and again just because their activities look something similar to someone's idea of a potential terrorist?
Is it worth it?
The IRS lacks staff and adequate software and hardware. The BIA has totally hosed the accounting of the trust fund money. The Justice Department says that complying with a large FOIA data request would crash their servers. The current, tiny No Fly list contained the name of a prominent Senator. I should worry about this, why?
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
Ah, so it has struck US politicians that threats to the nation may (at least in theory) come from people who are not forreign nationals. Not that I envy those of you who live there, regardless of nationality. Freedom used to be cherished, and covernment control and distrust of own citisens in the former eastern block used to be scorned. Bring that point of view back! Your fears are scores for your enemies. _ /Bjorn.
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?
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.
What's wrong with this picture?
When all else fails, run.
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
They probably already have it. You'll be contacted if there's anything they think you need to know.
Only in a Slashdot fantasy can a Slackware install turn into several hours of sex . . . . .
What part of
"Article [IV.]
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. "
don't they understand? You already can, with a warrant. The only reason a government would want these powers with this little cause is to spy on its citizens. They've already got sneak-and-peek warrants!
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
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