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DOJ Advisory Cmte. Warns About Data Mining and Privacy

According to the New York Times, the Technology and Privacy Advisory Committee advises the DOJ, in an report delivered in March, but just made available (although not yet on the TAPAC website), that due to data mining undertaken by the government in the fight against terrorism, there is the need to establish additional legislative protections on behalf of citizens’ privacy. A copy of the report, Safeguarding Privacy in the Fight Against Terrorism (140 pages, pdf), Report of the Pentagon’s Technology and Privacy Advisory Committee, March 2004, provided by the Center for Democracy and Technology.

  • See also William Safire’s op-ed column, also in today’s Times, that quotes a portion of the 119 page report referring to current laws concerning data mining as “disjointed and often outdated, and as a result may compromise the protection of privacy, public confidence and the nation’s ability to craft effective and lawful responses to terrorism.”
  • And from Watching Justice, Ashcroft announces plan for intelligence sharing, which led me to the May 14 DOJ press release, that states, “Attorney General John Ashcroft today announced the launch of the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP), an initiative designed to link federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies so that they can share intelligence information to prevent terrorism and crime.”
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