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FBI May Have Datamined Grocery Stores With Help From Credit Companies
An anonymous reader writes "Recent media reports indicate that in 2005-06, the FBI went trawling through grocery store records in order to track down Iranian terror cells. They hoped to locate 'Middle-Eastern terrorists' through the purchase of specific food items. Many of these items, though, are not sold through big-box supermarket chains, and the majority of mom and pop ethnic markets do not have the detailed computer purchase histories that Safeway or Whole Foods have. What the FBI seems to have done is instead put together a list of everyone who shopped at a Middle Eastern food market. All signs point to the credit card companies providing this data, and not the individual stores. If so, this could be the tip of a (potentially illegal) data-mining iceberg."
I like how the article linked as a source ("All signs point to...") contains the phrase: I have no sources at all for my argument today. I have nothing to back it up other than a gut feeling.
If you read the CQ article, which is the only source of information here (the other two rely on it totally), it is not clear that this idiotic program was ever implemented to any extent whatever. It may have just been some words written on a napkin after a late night of drunken FBI 'brain'-storming.
They are also private companies, you probably never saw any usage agreement and maybe weren't even aware that they were keeping that data. You give them that information and they can do what they want with it.
What's more interesting is if this kind of stuff actually helps them find real terrorists or if the hit/miss ratio is more akin to just identifying Muslims or Mid-easter people. There are always the stories of the FBI bullying the libraries and bookstores. It's disheartening, it makes you think twice and attacks some of the fundamental freedoms but is it actually effective? Perhaps there are a couple key meals that can fairly easily identify the eater as someone who has traveled to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.. And perhaps that increases the likelihood of you being a terrorist like 10,000%. Then coupled with some key readings you may or may not have read they can further increase the likelihood that you're a terrorist. I hate this stuff but it really works then that is interesting and definitely has impact on how society will feel about it.
In fairness, the article says: "the project didn't last long. It was torpedoed by the head of the FBI's criminal investigations division, Michael A. Mason, who argued that putting somebody on a terrorist list for what they ate was ridiculous -- and possibly illegal."
In any big organization there will be stupid ideas. The important thing is that dumb ideas get stopped, which in this case happened.
Bill O'Reilly likes falafel too, so you should be safe.
FBI struggles to find uniquely Canadian food
That would be Poutine.
It's a French Canadian food, but most of Canada has it. Actually, Burger King makes a damn fine poutine.
I am not sure why you got modded so high because your wrong. Christian Fundamentalists is actually a bigger threat to the USA as they actually hold positions of power in the US government as it stands.
You have the likes of Bush saying that Creationism should be taught as a science.
I would recommend watching God's next army (starts 2:20 in). In the event it gets nuked, do some serious research on Patrick Henry College, then come back and tell us they aren't a threat. For example they helped pass through a law a year or so ago that would hinder child services from investigating incidents of child abuse.
There is also Jesus Camp documentary but doesn't cover as much.
It is more then just honor killings.