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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.""

13 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.

    --
    Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
    1. Re:Real ID act by BWJones · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sounds like a driver's license, minus the biometrics.

      Hardly. This is so much more in that it will access a common database that is available everywhere in the nation to any law enforcement official that requests your information or ID and additionally makes that information available to private security companies and other companies that contract with the federal government. There are also a number of other problems associated with this legislation in that it was attached to an appropriations bill and has gone through very little oversight. Lots of folks actually have no idea of what is actually contained in this legislation or who was involved in its creation.

      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.

      --
      Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
    2. 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...

    3. 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.

      --
      Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
    4. Re:Real ID act by TykeClone · · Score: 3, Informative

      Transactions of more than $10,000 must be reported (see the Bank Secrecy Act, I believe)

      --
      A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
  2. In other words... by necro2607 · · Score: 3, Funny

    FBI is planning to recruit any/all Google staff. ;)

  3. Well, duh... by RedNovember · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's a government agency, what did you expect? They just let you in without any screening whatsoever?

    The US government wants to make sure that, if you join their ranks, they know more about you than anybody else. IMO, a good thing.

    --
    "MY APOCALYPTIC TENOR HAS NOT BEEN DISPELLED!" - T-Rex, qwantz.com
  4. Re:I wonder what these are for? by vought · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Seriously though, I'm really kinda scared. But I'm more sad that it'll take a near miracle for some more oversight to be required in US intelligence agencies. The worst part is that by speaking out, you are probably being targeted.

    Oh, come on now. I'm sure the Bush administration would never, ever ask a Federal agency to do something explicitly forbidden by law. Nor would they ever use secrets for political gain. To suggest otherwise would be blatantly partisan!

    Oh - and as far as the FBI fast-tracking new hires to deal with sensitive information? Two words: Robert Hanssen.

  5. NSA's reject pool... by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Funny
    > "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.

    ...to receive an application for these and other exciting careers, just pick up your phone, call your mother, and ask for one! No Ph.D in mathematics? Can't hack it as a cryptanalyst? Can't manage to configure a web server without leaving cookies on until 2035? No problem! NSA's loss is our gain!

  6. Future News Headline by g0bshiTe · · Score: 4, Funny
    F.B.I. Alert Millions of US Citizens After Data Warehouse Security Breach!

    The FBI Liason released at a press conference this statement
    ...we are currently looking into the matter of how they got in. It would appear that the perpetrators used some WMF vulnerability in Windows to get into our systems. We have patched all of our systems and are now relatively confident that no future intrusions will occur

    In other news it was found that 300 low paid FBI employees are missing and several of the core servers that housed other sensitive data are also missing. A yellow post-it note was found at the scene which reads....
    we r teh N54, j00 w1!! p4Y u5 1 milljion j00 ass dollars for j00r d474 back.
    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
  7. Total Information Awareness by Yonder+Way · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Come on, you don't think Bush really turned his back on the TIA project so easily, do you?

  8. What's the chance of me getting hired by IAAP · · Score: 3, Funny

    if I walk into the interview and ask "Guns! When do we get guns!"

  9. old news by recharged95 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Data warehousing and federated searching have been issues in government over the last 10years. Hmm.. could it be since DBs are usually involved with government data/apps?

    This is not news, especially with the current environment since 2001. Now the challenge has always been non-technical for the FBI:

    hire really IT-savvy folks (i.e. with real experience, not DoD or college newbies) for gov't level salaries and ever-shrinking budgets--and considering the deployment environment is rather boring IMO. Of course, those engineers would be competing with [money hungry] companies like MicroStrategy that offer products they could buy vs. build.

    And throw in the culture/environment, it's a tough pill to swallow for a tech-person to be serious and enjoy the job.

    And really no one should be scared about these types of systems as long as their a policy/laws defined. I mean google already places a "surveillance" factor on the public domain and no one has a problem [yet].