Return of the Darpa Death-Ray?

Kathleen writes “Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff floated an idea to start a nonprofit group that would collect information on private citizens, flag suspicious activity, and send names of suspicious people to his department.
The government just can’t give up its dream of Total Information Awareness. Will the DARPA Death-Ray be resurrected?
[ThanksMemory Hole].”

May 9, 2005 by Uncategorized 6

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6 Responses

  1. Daniel says:
    May 9, 2005 at 1:39 am

    Hasn’t he been reading the papers?
    LEXIS, ChoicePoint, etc? Leaving aside the specter creating a cyber American Protective League, private organizations have repeatedly proved themselves inept at protecting records from identity theives or even maintaining accurate credit records on people. The idea of having the private sector build such a database would be laughable if it were not for the triple dangers of massive ID theft, the harrassment of innocent citizens and the database becoming a vast resevoir of false identities for terrorists.

    A horrible idea that typically, was presented in secret. Makes you nostalgic for Tom Ridge.

    Reply
  2. Curmudgeony says:
    May 9, 2005 at 3:02 am

    Here to help?
    After all, only by monitoring the words, deeds, and even thoughts, of individuals, will lasting peace be forged. Why not just call them “Nightwatch” and drop all pretense.

    They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.–Benjamin Franklin.

    Reply
  3. Daniel says:
    May 9, 2005 at 4:20 am

    Re:Here to help?
    “Why not just call them “Nightwatch” and drop all pretense.”

    You mean you don’t look forward to an America that is safe and ideologically pure?

    If you weren’t making a Babylon 5 reference, accept my embarrassed apologies.

    Reply
  4. Curmudgeony says:
    May 9, 2005 at 5:40 am

    Re:Here to help?
    Naaaah, B5 all the way.

    “You will cooperate with the state, for the good of the state and your own survival. You will confess to the crimes of which you have been accused. You will be released and returned to society a productive citizen if you cooperate. Resistance will be punished. Cooperation will be rewarded.”

    Reply
  5. librarygal says:
    May 9, 2005 at 6:51 am

    someone needs to read!
    We need to get copies of Orwell’s 1984 into the hands of these people and fast. Scary!

    Reply
  6. Porch Geese says:
    May 9, 2005 at 9:00 pm

    Re:someone needs to read!

    They aren’t the only ones. Council of Westminster (London, UK) needs to brush up as well.

    And I had always thought the public microphones in 1984 seemed far-fetched …

    Reply

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