1984 Anyone?

**1984 Anyone? -** 12-11-2002, 03:13 PM

The U.S. Government is certainly taking an Orwellian turn:
[quote:f7e85]BBC Washington correspondent Justin Webb reports on a Pentagon project looking into ways of monitoring everything everyone does, as part of its war against terror.

In the film Minority Report, Tom Cruise heads a futuristic police team who have the technology to spot people who intend to commit serious crimes before the crime itself takes place.
The premise might seem far-fetched but it could be closer than we think.

In the Pentagon in Washington, a team is working on plans to collect as much information about every single aspect of everyone in America as they can.

This includes everything from doctor's records to bank deposits, e-mail to travel tickets, phone conversations to magazine subscriptions.

The reason, according to the Under Secretary of Defense Pete Aldridge, is to catch people intending to carry out terrorist crimes.

"The bottom line is that this is an important research project to determine the feasibility of using certain transactions and events to discover and respond to terrorists before they act."

Willing public

Backers of the project, known as Total Information Awareness, admit that it sounds Orwellian.

This is a technology-intensive approach that assumes if you have enough data you can produce clear conclusions

Mark Rotenberg, Epic
A reluctant supporter of the Pentagon's plans is Frank Gaffney, a former assistant defence secretary.

He says that it would only take one more terrorist attack and public support is assured.

"At that point there will not only be a willingness to submit to those sorts of infringement but a demand that they be infringed upon in the hope of trying to protect us."

"If there were no war on terror, this is not something that we would want to do."

Not everyone though is convinced, particularly since the man heading the Pentagon team has a dubious past.

Hi-tech doubts

Total Information Awareness is the baby of Admiral John Poindexter.

As an adviser to former President Reagan, he sold arms to Iran and using the money to fund the Nicaraguan contras.

Most opponents, though, focus on the wider question of what Admiral Poindexter is trying to achieve and how likely it is to fail.

Mark Rotenberg monitors government attempts at surveillance and snooping. He believes hi-tech solutions are often the ones with the highest rate of failure.

"This is a technology-intensive approach that assumes if you have enough data you can produce clear conclusions," he said.

"We went through a period of time recently in Washington with the sniper attacks when everyone was looking for a white truck.

"We could have had a computer database running profiles of every white truck owner in the country to try to decide which of them was the sniper. In fact, the answer was that none of them were."

The white van was found to be a false lead in the infamous Washington sniper case.

In the film Minority Report things go horribly wrong with the system.

Many in Washington are predicting that this real-life scheme, if it ever got off the ground, would lead to hi-tech chaos and failure.

[/quote:f7e85]
ed: [/b]

ninty · 12-11-2002, 03:15 PM

Good thing I don't live in the states or I might have to cut back on my daily intake of porn.

They might have thought i was a virtual pimp or something.

Zoner · 12-11-2002, 03:24 PM

I hear THAT, dude.

Zone

Pfc.Green · 12-11-2002, 03:31 PM

I totally disagree with this, as do alot conservitives, i come on do they really need to know what kind of porn billy-jean the hick looks at? or if a grandma has a corn on her foot? this Admiral John Poindexter is the wrong man for any job.

Tripper · 12-11-2002, 03:37 PM

WTF? That sucks...I'd be afraid if I were an American.

Milla · 12-11-2002, 03:47 PM

So much for privacy ed:

KTOG · 12-11-2002, 05:21 PM

i'm glad i'm not a terrorist

SW-14 · 12-11-2002, 05:50 PM

hake:

Not gonna happen.

Pfc.Green · 12-11-2002, 05:55 PM

[quote="SW-14":84861]hake:

Not gonna happen.[/quote:84861]

Yeah I dont think its got a chance.

Argon · 12-11-2002, 06:16 PM

Yep here we go again sacrificing our personal freedoms for sercurity. Makes me sick. Its only a mater of time before the Tanks and Nat. Guard start rolling down our streets.

Can anyone say "marshall law".

12-11-2002, 06:33 PM

don't worry argon, they won't have any ammo evil:

r3mix · 12-11-2002, 06:40 PM

[quote="Pfc.Green":86fc5][quote="SW-14":86fc5]hake:

Not gonna happen.[/quote:86fc5]

Yeah I dont think its got a chance.[/quote:86fc5]

you sound like you think this isnt already operating.
FYI few bad apples that got their arse kicked out on the street over the whole Iran contra scandle got put back in business to run this. and yeah its already up and running.

Captain Bunny · 12-11-2002, 06:45 PM

That system can never work.

if i was a terrorist and knew my emails were being looked at and telephone convos were being recorded, i would simply arrange to meet my terrorist partners in person.
One can hardly be arrested for saying "see you down the pub at 6pm" thats really going to point the finger at me being a terrorist.
or talk in code. "i miss you honey! hope we can be together soon and ill give my love"

miss = hate
honey = americans
hope = united
together = victorious
give = detonate
love = bomb.

Why doesnt the government simply assume everyone is guilty of something - and lock them up. then only after an extensive degree of interogation and that officials are satisfied a person is innocent they can be released. hake:

Milla · 12-11-2002, 07:22 PM

......wtf bunny? eek:

Vance · 12-11-2002, 07:30 PM

[quote="Captain Bunny":46204]or talk in code. "i miss you honey! hope we can be together soon and ill give my love"

miss = hate
honey = americans
hope = united
together = victorious
give = detonate
love = bomb.

[/quote:46204]
Translation: ''I hate you americans! United we can be victorious soon and ill detonate my bomb.''

???