Re: Police Still Using Matrix-Type Database

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - When the federal government in April stopped

> funding a database that lets police quickly see public records and > commercially collected information on Americans, privacy advocates > celebrated what they saw as a victory against overzealous police in the > fight against terrorism.

I have mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand, this kind of national hookup can be very useful in solving dangerous and heinous crimes. We live in a very mobile society today. It also may be useful to fight potential terrorism.

On the other hand, if misused without good controls, this could be a nightmare. "Partial matches" are just that. By definition, a great many people could 'partially match' and thus all considered as potential suspects, and hauled off the street without warning. If you by coincidence partially match a wanted fugitive, your life will be miserable.

I also want to emphasize my concern about _private_ organizations collecting all this information and sharing it around, without any controls whatsoever. We've learned they're sloppy and it gets stolen. We don't know if the information gets misinterpreted forcing us to pay much more for a loan or an apartment rental, or even lose a job because unknown to us there's a black flag in our secret credit history.

What's more troubling about the invasion of privacy is that the invaders (government or business) keep it secret and we're not allowed to even know about it.

Reply to
hancock4
Loading thread data ...

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.