USACM’s take on Total Info Awareness (2003)

coach — Sun, 26 Jan 2003 03:39:06 +0000

Perhaps you’ve heard of TIA: the Department of Defense’s Total Information Awareness, a plan to gather all available information, from database everywhere, about every person in the U.S., ostensibly to counter “terrorism through prevention.” Heh. More like “government as a terrorist organization” these days, against their own citizenry.

The USACM, the public policy group of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM, a member-based professional organization), has written a great letter with an offer to help:

Because of serious security, privacy, economic, and personal risks associated with the development of a vast database surveillance system, we recommend a rigorous, independent review of these aspects of TIA. Such a review should include an examination of the technical feasibility and practical reality of the entire program. USACM would be pleased to assist in such an effort.

A good outline of why we should be worried about this Orwellian plan.

Coaching moment: Sometimes the government is doing the surveillance. Once it starts, it’s hard to go back. Note that this article was from 2003. What do you think the government knows about you? Can you correct information if it is wrong? Why might you want to?

Digital ID Coach » Association for Computing Machinery

USACM’s take on Total Info Awareness (2003)