Posted
2/09/2006 05:35:00 PM
by Douglas
To continue with a theme, the Federal Government, working mainly through private contractors, aren't content with knowing what kind of mayonnaise you buy, how many minutes you use on your cell phone, and the current address of your college roommate. Now they're going after
blogs and other pointless crap on the internet.
The US government is developing a massive computer system that can collect huge amounts of data and, by linking far-flung information from blogs and e-mail to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity.
The system - parts of which are operational, parts of which are still under development - is already credited with helping to foil some plots. It is the federal government's latest attempt to use broad data-collection and powerful analysis in the fight against terrorism. But by delving deeply into the digital minutiae of American life, the program is also raising concerns that the government is intruding too deeply into citizens' privacy.
I'm still going to contend that
this book be mandatory reading for anyone wondering why their spouses disappeared in the middle of the night. Read it before they ban it, folks!