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(Mis)Uses of Technology

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Nov 12th 2002 1:56am





US Plans Huge Computer System To Spy On The Public

from the uh... dept

Well, I'd say the only big surprise on this one is that it's being done so openly. It seems that the US Government has created the Orwellian-named Information Awareness Office to build a huge computer system that will sift through all your private data to determine whether or not you might be a terrorist. They say, of course, that they're concerned about protecting people's privacy, but you can say whatever you want when you've got $200 million a year to build technology to spy on anyone and everyone. If the description of what they're planning to do isn't scary enough, check out their logo. This seems so over the top, my first thought was to check to see if it's April Fool's day. Unfortunately, it seems pretty real. This seems like a huge boondoggle that will make a lot of money for the companies chosen to supply the technology, but which will do little in the way of useful work in protecting anyone (though, it'll turn up all sorts of false positives while destroying individual privacy rights).

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  1.  
    identicon
    2Lazy2Register, Nov 12th, 2002 @ 6:32am

    Committees formed already

    IAO Mission: The DARPA Information Awareness Office (IAO) will imagine, develop, apply, integrate, demonstrate and transition information technologies, components and prototype, closed-loop, information systems that will counter asymmetric threats by achieving total information awareness useful for preemption; national security warning; and national security decision making.

    Can't you just imagine the score of meetings it took just to get this put together?

     

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  2.  
    icon
    Wklink (profile), Nov 12th, 2002 @ 9:05am

    Poindexter

    In his first interview since he started the "information awareness" program, Poindexter, who figured prominently in the Iran-contra scandal more than a decade ago...
    "Figured prominently" is an understatement. He was Ollie's boss and was convicted. His conviction was overturned on the basiss that he was granted immunity for his testimony to Congress (in which he admitted to everything that he had been convicted of).

    Ollie's other plans during Iran-Contra were to turn FEMA (who are supposed to help clean up after natural disasters) into an enforcement arm for Martial Law in case anti-Contra protestors got in the way.

     

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  3.  
    identicon
    maxglick, Nov 18th, 2002 @ 6:50pm

    The New Total Information Awareness Resource Cente

    There is a great new site that is an excellent resource for information and action concerning the Total Information Awareness program.

    http://geocities.com/totalinformationawareness

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    patrock2, Nov 27th, 2002 @ 7:07am

    Re: Poindexter

    I kept a newspaper article from that time that spelled out the new changes in martial law to include domestic unrest over national/foreign policy(peaceful demonstrations)..just to name one there were more..like making all county seats command posts for National Guard during martial law.. the article went on to say that it wasn't known whether or not Reagan signed it-what do you think he did? I think he signed it of course. These changes to declaring martial law were put on Reagan's desk by Ollie North..Also we have been under maritime law for decades now and remain so look at our flags they all have the yellow tassle fringe on them in all official offices..that is the flag of maritime law..which means we are not under constitutional protections and haven't been for decades..and especially now should it be invoked..hmmmm

     

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