Paranoia warranted?

[coastie]

From the Washington Times...

The Pentagon yesterday confirmed that a high-tech data-collection system that will monitor credit-card transactions and airline ticket purchases, described by critics as "a supersnoop's dream," is being created to thwart terrorist attacks.

In the past, I have spoken out against the so-called paranoia of those who claim that the government is invading and taking away our privacy.

Now I'm not so sure...

For the full story click here.

Zach

 

[heapshake]

It seems as if most of this info is stuff the gov already has. I'm not sure if I'm for or against them consolidating it. I'd prefer it if they got rid of the info, but I don't see that happening.

I don't think credit card companies have to hand over the info (w/o a warrant) but I imagine most will.

 

[heapshake]

Oh and to answer the question... Yeah I figure some paranoia is warranted.

 

[coastie]

With the safeway club card, and the Albertson's new preferred member card, they are able to track everything you buy by offering you discounts. Discounts that would have been offered via coupons 5 or 6 years ago, but instead they just mark things up so that you'll have to use the card.

Big brother has a lot of little cousins.

 

[Blindfaith]

**snort**

Do they actually believe that terrorists have credit cards issued in their real name?  Names that will match up with airline tickets?

I suppose they believe they carry library cards with same said name?

Please.

 

 

[coastie]

Oh no!

BF, you're right, now you're just adding to my paranoia. The government is actually doing all this to track me because they want to know exactly what kind of deoderant I prefer and whether or not I'm sticking to my diet.

Now I'm getting worried!

 

[Dewjunkie]

My understanding of the program is that it will take information that is already available to law enforcement under court order and place in a central location, mostly for expediency. Currently, the proccesses take weeks and sometimes months to get all of the permissions needed to acquire said info. I guess the idea is to trim that time frame down.

I think as long as the requesting agency still has to provide reasonable suspiscion to conduct the search to a court, things should be o.k. Of course paranoia is warranted whenever someone is allowed that much access to your personal life, but according to policies in place right now, if you are abiding by the law you shouldn't have anything to fear.

 

[Dewjunkie]

Nah, Zach, we're dew not concerned dew about your deodorant. We're really dew more interested in whether dew or not you are drinking dew your required amount of Mountain Dew.

 

[heapshake]

I'm not worried about today - its the future that bugs me. Once the info is consolidated it becomes a treasure trove for any thug who works his way into office. Can you imagine what Hoover would do with this type of system? Nixon could have had a field day with his enemies and Clinton wouldn't have needed Craig Livingston down in the basement looking through peoples files.

This will be hard to un-do once its in place.

 

[Blindfaith]

I think I'd like to call it the

[pong]Slippery Slope[/pong]

 

[coastie]

Originally posted by Dewjunkie
Nah, Zach, we're dew not concerned dew about your deodorant. We're really dew more interested in whether dew or not you are drinking dew your required amount of Mountain Dew.

Now that you metion it, I'm really craving some Mountain Dew right now.

 

[Dewjunkie]

Valid concern, heapshake, but the process has been in place a long time now, and any hacker with your Social Security Number could undo you just as easily as someone in the government with a vendetta. I think there is enough concern about the privacy issue that it will be pretty closely guarded.

 

[stray bullet]

Terrorists don't buy stuff with cash?

 

[heapshake]

I realize that the info has been collected and that is why I'm not sure how I feel about this. I think it will do some good and it makes sense to use this info in the most effecient manner. But, having it all in one place just makes it that much easier if the tide turns. According to the HSA, the president have the final say over who can have access to this info. I think it will become a big temptation not to use this for personal gain.

 

[coastie]

how could one use the info for personal gain?

 

[heapshake]

It can used it to dig up dirt on people which can then be used to blackmail them into doing what you want.

 

[coastie]

you could be a dangerous person, heapshake

 

[Gator76]

Dew is right, info such as this sort has been collected on different segments of the populace for at least 30 yrs. now.  It's just that now, different groups are assimilating it into one place.  I think the really scary thing here is, nobody really knows what "they" are going to use all this info for.  I mean today, it is used to combat terrorism.  What if by some chance we reach a point in history where this is not an everyday concern anymore?  And yes, there is a magical "they".