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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".

14 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. billions of records? by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 4, Funny

    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!

  2. Wednesday evening? by ChipMonk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't it a little late to be reporting this? How are we supposed to Slashdot Congress at this late hour?

  3. Riiight by Donoho · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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
    1. Re:Riiight by MonkeyGone2Heaven · · Score: 5, Insightful


      Actually, having the government inacurately querying these databases is what scares me. The last thing I want is to be scooped up in some anti-terrorist sweep because some doufus doesn't know his joins.

      Of course, they'll be just as certain I'm a terrorist as they were that Saddam Hussien had vast stocks of WMD when we invaded Iraq.

  4. Sounds Complicated by Lev13than · · Score: 4, Funny

    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
  5. What about foreigners ? by Jesrad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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 ?
    1. Re:What about foreigners ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      As it is, it's quite hard being a foreign national in the US presently, even if you are just a student.

      With the new SEVIS system in place, whatever little privacy you had is gone. It's mandatory for you to provide information on your current whereabouts to the authorities.

      I interned at a national lab this summer, and it was mandatory for me to notify my mentor of my whereabouts - if I was leaving town, even on weekends, I had to inform him. He would call me up every three hours to find out where I was. During weekdays, I had to call him up and get his permission before leaving for lunch.

      Rights? You do not have those.

      United States of America ceased to be the land of the free a long long time ago.

      You do not have any liberty here. Get over it. You're not wanted if you are foreign national. Your color and your race will be used against you, no matter what. I get pulled over at airports all time time because of that.

      I do not blame the people, because the people are nice. But the administration and the people running the country are not.

      They do not care about the principles that this country was built on. Sad.

  6. Riiiiiight... by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.
  7. domestic terrorists? by dresseduptoday · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  8. 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?

  9. 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.
  10. Just who is the enemy? by Whammy666 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Why are the majority of these new anti-terrorism laws targeting American citizens? Al-Qaeda is largely based in foreign countries and consists of foreign nationals. Yet the focus of Asscrofts et. al. anti-terror efforts has been to find new and creative ways to spy on US citizens.

    What's wrong with this picture?

    --
    When all else fails, run.
    1. Re:Just who is the enemy? by RealAlaskan · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Why are the majority of these new anti-terrorism laws targeting American citizens?

      It's all about control, in two senses: they're desparate to control everyone, and they can only tighten the screws on those of us they already have some control over. So, today they turn the U.S. into a police state, tomorrow the world.

      --
      See what I've been reading.
  11. 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