Nancy Thomson
Following
9/11 our privacy underwent a dramatic change.
Information concerning your finances, marriage, the value of your home,
names of friends and family, everything is being centralized. Private technology companies and commercial
businesses coordinated with the government’s anti-terror in agencies promoting
an advanced security industrial complex.
In
Business
is partnering with government to bring about a new industry for the purpose of
gathering information on individuals.
Link
analysis charts can identify relationships between people in a room or those
involved in the same industry. The NSA,
National Security Agency’s biometric ID system further erodes privacy. This system uses physiological
characteristics such as hand geometry, retinal patterns, fingerprints and facial
bone structure. Psychological elements
unique to each individual such as your gait, voice patterns, and the amount of
pressure exerted on keyboards will all ID a person. Other countries are using biometric
components in various ways also. Our
government has included the biometric system in the Real ID legislation. Even schools and other facilities have begun
using this NASA method of identifying people.
Thus
we are under scrutiny from all sides, every time we purchase something the
information goes into the government’s data -base. The Patriot’s Act allows The FBI access to
homes and business where the biometric system acts as a personal ID. Cameras capture your gait, and bone structure
for future reference at the For Meade NSA headquarters. All this information is gathered without
your knowledge.
Sears,
Hallmark, grocery stores, Bank of America, financial services,
Another
use for this huge researched data -base found its way into politics. Recorded information noted the people most
likely to donate large sums of money to a candidate. This information helped elect a candidate
from
More
businesses became “marketering” specialists, car dealers, magazine publishers,
owners of hotels, etc.
One
firm sold private details to these businesses enabling them to target people
with large banking accounts. All of this
data has redrawn our business relationships.
Most worrisome is the government using this new enterprise to increase
their power over us. In order to
survive, companies must share their information with the government.
Connections
to Acxiom included Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater who pushed the
Another
data giant is named ChoicePoint. It gained its reputation for the ability to
give billions of records about Americans to police in every state of the
union. ChoicePoint compiled private
information. This
included criminal records complete with their analyzing of each case.
After completing this project ChoicePoint then sold it all. The frenzy appearing after 9/11 found
everyone willing to forget privacy regulations and do anything to ID suspected
terrorists. Airlines illegally gave
passenger manifest lists to investigators.
ChoicePoint pulled together thin strands of information to create
backgrounds on suspects. Remember the
Defense Department’s Total Information Awareness program that had to be
discontinued when it became public?
Another
problem in the use of technology concerned electronic voting. DBT a subsidiary of ChoicePoint became
involved in siphoning felons from the eligible voter’s list. Their electronic voting program became a
disaster. DBT technology mixed up lists
of felons who weren’t allowed to vote with those who committed misdemeanors and
could vote. Felon’s names were
mismatched with ordinary citizens and it sometimes took two years to rectify
the mistake. ChoicePoint and DBT
dismissed the criticism. Neither of
these companies suffered from this faulty technology.
The
A
Times article headlined “ChoicePoint Is
Fined for Data Breach” The FTC fined ChoicePoint $10 million due to their
careless handling of consumer information.
This ChoicePoint fine started a national debate about data
security. More than 12 states initiated
new regulations about how data is handled.
Congress has now promoted 18 pieces of legislation concerning data
security
Intertwined
with the public/private data-base government relationships is the whole
conception of domestic surveillance. The
super secret National Security Agency known as the “No Such Agency” or should a NSA official be questioned he was to “Never Say Anything”
has long been under wraps. Even Congress
wasn’t aware of its scope. It was on the
black budget so no information was ever given concerning the funding. The NSA has been involved in global communications
spying since the Echelon spy in the sky satellite was created by this secret
agency. Larger and more secret than the
CIA, NSA has been headlined recently.
General Hayden has been nominated to head the CIA. Formerly General Hayden was the director of
NSA. The compilation of millions of
American phone numbers by NSA during Hayden’s employment there has caused
congressional and media attention.
Actually this is least of the concerns surrounding the No Such Agency.
The
FBI is using the burgeoning computer systems of private data gatherers to
replace the ancient equipment in their offices.
However some companies don’t want to share with the government. Earthlink providing Internet service had to
take the FBI to court to stop them from installing government listening devices
in their equipment. Earthlink lost their
case against the FBI but they negotiated a settlement. Instead of the government doing the
eavesdropping, Earthlink would spy on itself and give the information to the
government.
Radio
frequency chips will be used as part of the “virtual border” surveillance
system. Our currency might also be
embedded with these devices. Chips are
used to monitor movements and at a school in
Information
provided in the book No Place to Hide
by Robert O’Harrow, Jr.
Understanding
the “war on terror” and the part surveillance plays in “protecting us” must be
understood. It is really a war on
American freedom.
“Truth
will ultimately prevail where there is pain taken to bring it to light” George
Washington