FBI Data Mining For More Than Just Terrorists

jcatcw writes "Computerworld reports that the FBI is using data mining programs to track more than just terrorists. The program's original focus was to identify potential terrorists, but additional patterns have been developed for identity theft rings, fraudulent housing transactions, Internet pharmacy fraud, automobile insurance fraud, and health-care-related fraud. From the article: 'In a statement, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the report [on the data mining] was four months late and raised more questions than it answered. The report "demonstrates just how dramatically the Bush administration has expanded the use of [data mining] technology, often in secret, to collect and sift through Americans' most sensitive personal information," he said. At the same time, the report provides an "important and all-too-rare ray of sunshine on the department's data mining activities," Leahy said. It would give Congress a way to conduct "meaningful oversight" he said.'"

Comments

Heil Hitler!

[WillAffleckUW]

Vere are your papers, citizen comrade?

Re:I for one welcome our Democratic

[MBraynard]

You have a paranoid fear of being found with kiddie pr0n on your computer. I wonder why>

A generic sign of a crime is when, for example, certain stocks are sold off prior to bad news being announced in an unusual way.

It sounds mostly like you are simply ignorant of what this program looks like. Please resume constructing your tin foil hat.

Re:So are they getting results?

[kcbrown]

The fact that the Secretary of Homeland Security's "gut" is telling him that we're going to get hit by a terrorist attack larger than 9/11 does concern me. I have to wonder about people whose hold on power is predicated on there being a continuing threat of terrorism. People do like to keep power, after all.

Most people aren't willing to follow this to its logical conclusion.

I am.

These people appear to be willing to do whatever it takes to remain in power. I mean whatever it takes.

So follow that to its logical conclusion. The logical conclusion is that intentionally allowing or even orchestrating a terrorist attack on American soil is not beyond these people. I suspect this has already happened (9/11), but cannot prove it and thus only consider it a possibility (though a not entirely unreasonable one). There appears to be some circumstantial physical evidence supporting that, at least, but it's by no means conclusive.

And I suspect that the timing of the next one, if it happens, will be such that it will "force" the postponement (and eventual outright cancellation) of the next presidential election. How convenient.

Those are only suspicions, of course. I can't prove them. But I have history on my side. This has happened before.

You think I'm paranoid? Well, you thought those of us who predicted all the shit that's coming to light now were paranoid, too. But it was you who were wrong. Because you underestimated the very people who are in power right now. I suggest you don't repeat that mistake.

Re:Dupe

[omfgnosis]

Yeah, I guess so. It's pompous to want to discuss abuses by a murderous, deceptive, invasive, nearly-all-powerful government agency, and to point out that it's not the end of the world that it got posted twice. God, why didn't I have this sense of perspective earlier?