Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

DoJ Budget Request Details Advanced Surveillance, Biometrics

Posted by Soulskill on from the you-can-trust-us dept.

An anonymous reader writes with a report about programs revealed in the Department of Justice's 2010 budget request, which includes $233.9 million in funding for an "Advanced Electronic Surveillance" project, and $97.6 million to establish the Biometric Technology Center. The surveillance project is designed to help the FBI "deal with changing technology and ways to intercept phone calls such as those used by VOIP phones or technology such as Skype. The program is also conducting research on ways to conduct automated analysis to look for links between subjects of surveillance and other investigative suspects." The Center for Democracy and Technology's Jim Dempsey warns, "It is appropriate for the FBI to develop more and more powerful interception tools, but the privacy laws that are supposed to guide and limit the use of those tools have not kept pace." The biometrics plan lays groundwork for a "vast database of personal data including fingerprints, iris scans and DNA which the FBI calls the Next Generation Identification," a system we have discussed in the past.

11 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. Next up ... by foobsr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Quote (2007):

    So far there is no gadget that can actually see inside our houses, but even that's about to change.

    Ian Kitajima flew to Washington from his laboratories in Hawaii to show me sense-through-the-wall technology.

    "Each individual has a characteristic profile," explained Ian, holding a green rectangular box that looked like a TV remote control.

    Using radio waves, you point it a wall and it tells you if anyone is on the other side. His company, Oceanit, is due to test it with the Hawaii National Guard in Iraq next year, and it turns out that the human body gives off such sensitive radio signals, that it can even pick up breathing and heart rates.

    CC.

    --
    TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    1. Re:Next up ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      And in an unrelated story, aluminum prices appear to be skyrocketing due to an unexpected surge in buyers.

    2. Re:Next up ... by Wrath0fb0b · · Score: 5, Informative

      So far there is no gadget that can actually see inside our houses, but even that's about to change.

      First, IR cameras have existed for decades. They can see inside very well.

      Second, in the US, police need a warrant to use it -- that is, the evidence they need to use anything that sees "inside" your house is no less that what they need to kick the door down and look inside themselves. Since the US Courts are very strict on the "fruit of the forbidden tree" doctrine, anything the police learn subsequent to such a search is going to be very hard to admit in court.

      See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyllo_v._United_States and read the opinion for the difference between "through the wall" and "off the wall". Also of note, the two most "conservative" Justices (Scalia and Thomas) were in the majority along with three more "liberal" members. The 4 dissenters were all moderates on the Court.

      Finally, an OT note, I'm consistently surprised that various countries that are considerably more liberal with respect to criminal law nevertheless allow the introduction of evidence that was obtained in violation of the law. In the US, the police have a bit more latitude, for sure, but any evidence they gather in violation of the law is absolutely inadmissible. By contrast, in Canada, the police have much less latitude but the courts have discretion on whether to admit evidence gathered in violation.

    3. Re:Next up ... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Informative

      In the US, the police have a bit more latitude, for sure, but any evidence they gather in violation of the law is absolutely inadmissible.

      Not anymore.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:Next up ... by Binty · · Score: 2, Informative

      Whoa man, that certainly illustrates your point (that IR doesn't see through walls), but that video is fairly shocking.

      To anybody with fragile sensibilities, the video shows a police car chase which turns into a foot chase, which ends when the suspect shoots himself in the head.

  2. stucco revival by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    stucco houses have chicken wire in their plaster matrix, and so act as a pretty good Faraday cage.

  3. Hey, I've seen this movie... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The biometrics plan lays groundwork for a "vast database of personal data including fingerprints, iris scans and DNA which the FBI calls the Next Generation Identification.

    ...GATTACA. Can't wait to see who Feds declare "valid" and "in-valid".

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  4. Well, if you're at all concerned about privacy by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    and civil liberties in this country, and if this plan makes you nervous, there is one ray of hope in all this. Federal law enforcement has a dismal record of implementing such sophisticated database systems. The FBI, for example, has spent billions and failed repeatedly. Not just law enforcement, either: the IRS and the FAA have both spent enormous sums on failed systems upgrades and botched implementations. I have the feeling this will be no different ... although that doesn't mean it won't be a real problem, privacy-wise, regardless of its (unfounded, unproven and probably worthless) utility as an antiterrorism tool. Furthermore, given law enforcement's proven inability to maintain accurate and auditable records, its unwillingness to correct any errors, and the effect such errors have on the populace (the TSA's no-fly list comes to mind) it's clear that the Feds should never be allowed to operate such a system.

    Terrorism is an evil enterprise, true enough. But this isn't all that far behind.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    1. Re:Well, if you're at all concerned about privacy by ScrewMaster · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But look at all the criminals we catch as a result!

      Which is another good point. If they're going to run such a system, they'd better be prepared to provide accurate and public records on just how well it performs, and precisely what activities were embarked upon in response to collected data. The TSA's approach of doing whatever the hell they want, and then lying to Congress about it is completely unacceptable, but I think there's a good chance this effort will head down the same road.

      Sad fact is, law enforcement in any county, under any legal system, cannot and should not be given more power than they can be trusted to use wisely. In the United States today ... that's not very much power at all.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  5. Biometrics database? by PPH · · Score: 2, Funny

    Face it. They just want to find out who's got a bigger schlong than they do.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  6. Re:Meet the new boss, same as the old boss... by vandan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually I would say:

    a) Obama is a liar, sure ... but:
    b) Bush is too stupid to be evil. He just had evil people pulling his strings

    But more generally, I think you're on the right track. The similarity between Obama's and Bush's policies demonstrates that the US has yet to achieve anything even remotely democratic, and further, that it doesn't appear to matter who becomes president or which party wins government ... the same shit keeps happening.

    Time to organise outside the political establishment.