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The FBI's IT Expansion Plans

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the change-of-careers dept.

Lam1969 writes "The FBI is fast-tracking the hiring of IT professionals, reports Computerworld. Computer scientists, engineers, IT specialists and IT project managers are wanted to develop systems to support FBI analysts and agents working in the field. Large-scale database development projects are part of the FBI's IT expansion as well. From the article: "The FBI is also focusing on data warehousing as well as federated search technology, which allows a single search query to be deployed across a number of databases, regardless of whether those databases belong to the same protocol or platform.""

8 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Real ID act by BWJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is likely to implement the Real ID act which essentially amounts to a federally unfunded mandated ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account or participate in almost any way with any federal institution or service.

    The thing about this ID card is what kind of information will be encoded in it. At a very minimum, name, DOB, sex, ID number, image and address, but also additional information that will likely be included are biometrics with some folks even proposing genetic sequences. However, a major problem with these cards is the inclusion of machine readable technologies included in them that has the very real possibility of making ID theft easier. Additionally, the RealID act requires people to have a physical address. i.e. NO post office boxes unless you are a judge or government agent.

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    1. Re:Real ID act by Threni · · Score: 3, Interesting

      > At the very minimum, there is now the possibility of the federal government
      > tracking the movement and ID of any US citizen at any time and preempts judicial
      > involvement in the process.

      One way of avoiding all this online infringement would be for offline communication. Sort of like how Bin Laden has managed to evade detection for so long. I wonder how long it'll be before communicating offline will be considered suspicious. Already using cash is - in the UK it's been suggested that people carrying more than £1000 on them should be considered suspect. How long before a judge in a trial poses the question "If you weren't engaged in an illegal activity why didn't you just email/text/im/phone the suspect?".

      As always, of course, if you're not doing illegal then clearly you have nothing to worry about...

    2. Re:Real ID act by BWJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What about the homeless?

      This is a major problem with this legislation as they are likely to become non-persons.

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  2. they just realised by know1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    how well the information gathered by google for advertising would benefit the fbi so decided that the one stop search all method is quite usefull. integrate all their electronic databases into a google search server that's not online with the main net, and you have a powerfull search appliance for government
    or something

  3. Creepy by TheOneAndOnlyOzzy · · Score: 1, Interesting
    All I can say is... I am scared for the future generations on the world, for humanity, people just do not understand the power in their hands, or worse those who do understand the power but have no soul.

    The FBI is going to become too powerful real soon.

  4. Re:I wonder what these are for? by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Don't get your hopes up. The FBI has had some "master" database system in the works for years and it's been a pile of shit. By all accounts it's been a massive waste of money and it hasn't shown any results.

    What this sounds like is that they finally realized that they need to build the system from the inside out and not rely on contractors etc. todo the job.

    However, I expect much like everything else, once all the people are hired the project plan presented with be full of unrealisic goals and timelines.

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    Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
  5. FBI hiring marketing students by TrainingGuy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There seem to be quite a few examples of the FBI engaging marketing students on 'Projects' NPR was talking about it last week too http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/ a/2005/11/22/state/n081156S81.DTL&type=printable http://www.ur.msstate.edu/news/stories/2004/fbimar ketingplan.asp

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  6. FBI and competence don't mix! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I have never owned a gun and still don't but one day I went to Big 5 Sporting goods and was looking at some pre-war (WW2) rifles that had matching serial numbers. I am a bit of a collector so I was interested in buying them at $200
    dollars for both. One I would give to my uncle and the other put above my mantle. Big 5 had to do a back ground check on me through the FBI. Well, I discovered I was a felon! Funny I did not remember ever going to prison or being brought in front of a judge for anything more then a traffic fine. I called the FBI and they said I match the age, name and description in their computer and to prove otherwise I had to get finger prints. I went to the King county and they took my finger prints but they did not cross their T's and dot their I's correctly so, it got rejected. I suppose someday I will get it all straiten out :(
    However, I would think that the proof of my criminality would on the FBI.