Features

SiliconValley.com (01/17/03); Puzzanghera, Jim

The Pentagon's Total Information Awareness project aims to build a database of electronic information on Americans and root out suspected terrorists via data mining, but this has raised the ire of civil libertarians as well as members of Congress. In response, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) outlined a revision to the proposed $390 billion federal budget Thursday night that would halt the project pending a serious assessment of the technology involved and how it could affect civil liberties. Furthermore, the amendment would include a ban preventing the Pentagon or any other agency from scrutinizing Americans with the system, thus restricting its use to foreign intelligence analysis or overseas military operations.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) announced a bill Thursday calling for the suspension of all data mining projects in the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department. Supporting his proposal was Wyden, Sen. John Corzine (D-N.J.), ACLU officials, electronic-privacy proponents, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Free Congress Foundation. It is estimated that data-mining projects in the Pentagon will cost $137 million in fiscal 2003, while the Congressional Research Service reckons that they could total up to $575 million between 2004 and 2007.

In response to criticism, DARPA also has revised a diagram of its vision of the TIA project on its Web site (http://www.darpa.mil/iao/TIASystems.htm) to include mentions of privacy safeguards and restrictions. The agency also has removed the TIA project's controversial logo, which depicted an eye atop a pyramid, casting its gaze over the earth.

Here is the full story from SiliconValley.com.