OT: TIA has morphed
stoney
http://www.counterpunch.org/cassel10312003.html
Halloween Edition
October 31, 2003
Coming to a State Near You
The Matrix (Interstate Snoop, Not the Movie)
By ELAINE CASSEL
Remember Admiral John Poindexter's proposed Total Information Awareness
(TIA) Program, the one which was going to mine all available electronic
data on you and me, make it into a nifty profile, and put it out there
for the government to use to track "terrorists"? I thought of it as a
government "in search of" ad: "In search of petite red-head who has a
sharp tongue and writes about John Ashcroft; likes dogs and gardening;
listens to everything from Brahms to Blues; may not be armed, but should
be considered dangerous." Search the data base for all redheads with one
or two of the "points" on the profile, then sweep in. Detain for
questioning. Find something they did wrong in their pasts, charge them
to the max, threaten with enemy combatant status if they don't plead,
sentence redheads to 10 years in prison.
Even our pitiful excuse of a Congress did not like TIA. (Speaking of
pitiful, did you read how they all slobbered over Arnold Schwarzenegger
this week? Even Diane Feinstein (D-CA) said "all is forgiven" as she
stood in line for his autograph when he visited the Hill.) So they cut
it from the Homeland Security Department Budget, kicked Poindexter out
of his cushy Pentagon office, and sent him out to private industry to do
his mischief there.
Well, TIA is not gone. It has morphed into MATRIX, an interstate
electronic data base started by the State of Florida (of course, money
to baby brother Jeb), with FEDERAL FUNDS, that involves states' pooling
first their criminal database. Then, who knows what else will go into
the mix.
The ACLU is hot on the trail of MATRIX. On October 30 it filed
simultaneous state "Freedom of Information Act" requests in Connecticut,
Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania about those states'
participation in the new "MATRIX" database surveillance system. It also
released an Issue Brief explaining the problems with the program, which
also operates in Florida and Utah.
"Congress killed the Pentagon's 'Total Information Awareness' data
mining program, but now the federal government is trying to build up a
state-run equivalent," said Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU's
Technology and Liberty Program.
"In essence, the government is replacing an unpopular Big Brother
initiative with a lot of Little Brothers," he added, noting that the
program is receiving $12 million from the Departments of Justice and
Homeland Security. "What does it take for the message to get through
that government spying on the activities of innocent Americans will not
be tolerated?"
The ACLU's requests, which were filed under individual states'
open-records laws, come on the heels of a federal Freedom of Information
Act request it filed October 17. A similar request was also filed in
Florida, where the program originated. The goal of the requests is to
find out what information sources the system is drawing on - information
program officials have refused to disclose - as well as who has access
to the database and how it is being used.
According to Congressional testimony and news reports, The Matrix (which
stands for "Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange") creates
dossiers about individuals from government databases and private-sector
information companies that compile files on Americans' activities for
profit. It then makes those dossiers available for search by federal and
state law enforcement officers. In addition, Matrix workers comb through
the millions of files in a search for "anomalies" that may be indicative
of terrorist or other criminal activity.
While company officials have refused to disclose details of the program,
according to news reports the kind of information to be searched
includes credit histories, driver's license photographs, marriage and
divorce records, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and the names
and addresses of family members, neighbors and business associates.
Raising even more issues, the Matrix is operated by a private company,
Seisint Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida. Ironically, the company's founder
was forced to resign after information about his own past came to light:
according to Florida police, he was formerly a drug smuggler who had
piloted multiple planeloads of cocaine from Colombia to the U.S.
"Members of Congress who voted to close down TIA in the belief that they
were ending this kind of data mining surveillance must demand more
information about The Matrix," said Steinhardt. "And then they should
shut it down too."
Copies of the ACLU's state and federal FOIA requests as well as the
Issue Brief about The Matrix are online.
View a special Web feature about the defunct TIA program at this ACLU
site.
Elaine Cassel practices law in Virginia and the District of Columbia,
teachers law and psychology, and follows the Bush regime's dismantling
of the Constitution at Civil Liberties Watch. She can be reached at:
ecas...@cox.net
(c) 2003 counterpunch
Stoney
"Designated Rascal and Rapscallion
and
SCAMPERMEISTER!"
When in doubt, SCAMPER about!
When things are fair, SCAMPER everywhere!
When things are rough, can't SCAMPER enough!
/end humour alert
alt.atheism military veteran #11
{so much for the 'no atheists in foxholes' rubbish}
August Pamplona
news:i413rvgoscm5guasj...@4ax.com...
>
> http://www.counterpunch.org/cassel10312003.html
>
> Halloween Edition
> October 31, 2003
> Coming to a State Near You
> The Matrix (Interstate Snoop, Not the Movie)
>
> By ELAINE CASSEL
>
[snip]
>
> While company officials have refused to disclose details of the
program,
> according to news reports the kind of information to be searched
> includes credit histories, driver's license photographs, marriage and
> divorce records, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and the
names
> and addresses of family members, neighbors and business associates.
>
> Raising even more issues, the Matrix is operated by a private company,
> Seisint Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida. Ironically, the company's founder
> was forced to resign after information about his own past came to
light:
> according to Florida police, he was formerly a drug smuggler who had
> piloted multiple planeloads of cocaine from Colombia to the U.S.
Well connected, getting a very important job of domestic
surveillance for intelligence agencies and involved in drug smuggling:
probably a C.I.A. guy. Can't they even keep these things under wraps
nowadays?
>
> "Members of Congress who voted to close down TIA in the belief that
they
> were ending this kind of data mining surveillance must demand more
> information about The Matrix," said Steinhardt. "And then they should
> shut it down too."
>
> Copies of the ACLU's state and federal FOIA requests as well as the
> Issue Brief about The Matrix are online.
And Ashcroft has directed as little cooperation as possible FOIA
requests.
August Pamplona
--
The waterfall in Java is not wet.
- omegazero2003 on m.f.w.
a.a. # 1811 apatriot #20 Eater of smut
To email replace 'necatoramericanusancylostomaduodenale' with
'cosmicaug'
stoney
<necatoramericanusa...@mail.com>, Message ID:
<kfhsb.10032$6c3....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net> wrote in
alt.atheism;
Evidentally not.
>> "Members of Congress who voted to close down TIA in the belief that
>they
>> were ending this kind of data mining surveillance must demand more
>> information about The Matrix," said Steinhardt. "And then they should
>> shut it down too."
>>
>> Copies of the ACLU's state and federal FOIA requests as well as the
>> Issue Brief about The Matrix are online.
>
> And Ashcroft has directed as little cooperation as possible FOIA
>requests.
I know.
Fuck off, Ashcrost ya slimey dickhead.