FBI To Spend $1B Expanding Fingerprint Database 159
mytrip and other readers alerted us to news that the FBI is about to announce the awarding of a $1B, 10-year contract to expand its fingerprint database to incorporate other biometrics — palm prints, iris scans, scars, tattoos, possibly facial shape — "Whatever the biometric that comes down the road, we need to be able to plug that in and play," an FBI spokesman is quoted. Barry Steinhardt of the ACLU sounded the cautionary note: "This had started out being a program to track or identify criminals. Now we're talking about large swaths of the population — workers, volunteers in youth programs. Eventually, it's going to be everybody."
The Mafia wants this (Score:5, Interesting)
Expect the entire database to be for sale world-wide in weeks.
And buy some EDS shares NOW.
Re:If you've done nothing wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
Though I expect that was posted with the sole intent of stirring up some muddy water, that sort of mind-set is clearly dangerous. The problem here is that we're continuously loosing more and more of our rights which protect us from our government. A false identification of an average citizen or legitimate businessman visiting from another country who happens to closely resemble a terrorist, but actually isn't the real-deal, could lead to false imprisonment for years if not a life-time, and without habeas corpus (because they may not necessarily acknowledge your claimed citizenship is valid), there is no stopping them. Honest citizens do have something to be horribly upset about: being treated like a potential terrorist and having every aspect of ourselves and our belongings intruded upon for a false sense of security.
I'm even going to throw in the good old car analogy too. I happen to still have my old Honda Civic from high school. When I got it (the price was right, so I took what I could get at the time), it had the crappy fart-pipe on it, and it had some shiny designer rims. I ripped the fart-pipe off, but I didn't see any point in removing the rims since even plain steel rims can be relatively costly. When I drive that car, the police see a young Spanish guy in a Honda Civic with after-market rims, and typically follow me for a while, sometimes even until I'm out of their jurisdiction (I cross counties on my way too and from work every day). When I drive my other car, which is a plain Ford Focus, police never pay any mind to me what-so-ever. They clearly profile, no matter how much they try to deny it. If they ran my plate, they'd see I'm 100% clean, so why continue to follow me until I hit the county line only when I'm driving *that* car? The car gets good gas mileage, so there is still good value to driving it rather than selling it, and it's nice to have it as a spare if my primary car has to hit the shop. Still, I sometimes wonder what these guys are thinking. Do they really think I'm some sort of threat? Do they feel I'm doing something retarded like running drugs? Who knows? What I know is that I really loathe being profiled like that every time I drive that car, as I'm a honest citizen who has done nothing wrong. So am I afraid? Not no, but hell no. Am I pissed off, oh hell yes. Don't doubt for a moment that the same thing won't happen when they're eventually watching every step you make, as opposed to periodically patrolling around in a car. You should be pissed off too.
Re:If you've done nothing wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
For the record, I do not live in Oakland, nor have I ever lived in Oakland, nor do I know exactly where Oakland is except that it's somewhere in the Bay Area that I haven't been since I was a child. And no matter how many times I tell the TSA guys that on my way into the United States, they continue to ask me every time.
But hey! Having people look through my underwear because they think I'm someone else makes me feel so safe!
Privacy issues... (Score:2, Interesting)
Also, the more data investigators have available to compare to mine in my hypothetical example, the less likelihood I'll even have charges brought against me to begin with; they'll know it wasn't me even before it gets to that point, and I'm one more suspect scratched off their list. Frankly, the prospect of NOT having my name dragged through the mud in a jury trial to prove my innocence (which can itself easily ruin lives) is more important to me personally than being "invisible" to the FBI by not being in their database at all. YMMV of course, and reasonably so -- this is just my opinion on the matter.
Personally, I'm not worried. (Score:2, Interesting)
As much as we bemoan the devolution that's going on inside the government, it has the side benefit of keeping some of the things they're trying to do in check. Will Rogers and I are both glad we don't get all of the government we pay for.
Think some more (Score:5, Interesting)
The database will be -
1. Imperfect
2. Abused by government employees
3. Illegally accessed and sold on for profit
1 means you'd get your name dragged through the muck anyway and have LESS chance of getting off, even if you didn't commit the crime.
2 that some people will get stalked by crazy ex spouses/lovers/stalkers/whatever. There will also be cases of it facilitating some petty authoritarian's revenge schemes
3 is a big hello to massive identity theft.
Plug and play???? (Score:3, Interesting)
This is not a fucking game.
I think the spokesman has been reading too many Microsoft boxes. FBI:"If my USB drive is 'plug and play' why cant a thumbprint, or a tattoo, or a piece of ear. Heck they do it on CSI all the time!"
I'm all for catching bad guys, but "plug and play", you've got to be fucking kidding.
(tee hee I said but plug)
Re:small scale malice is the big issue (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree that giving "cop-anybody" rights to huge amounts of personal information is probably a bad idea.
However I still am more in fear of incompetence and negligence. Take for example all the recent data leaks that were uncovered within the British government.
In addition our minister of justice here in Germany had two Laptops stolen from her apartment recently...of course none of which contained any classified or otherwise important data (riiiiiiight...). The level of incompetence she's continuously displaying regarding technical questions you can bet your ass and property that everything on those machines was unencrypted and she'd do hell to admit it.
Once incompetence has reached such a high level it's hard not to be afraid of all this excessive data mining.
It indicates (Score:4, Interesting)
Overall, a simple tattoo can be described. But if they are electing to keep the biometrics that they are keeping, it would say that they will be making heavier use of cameras. My guess is that we will see a new law proposed (and probably passed since the dems are as yellow-liver as the pubs are corrupt) that allows the feds access to ALL streaming camera (banks, grocery stores, streets, stop lights, toll bothes, etc) 100% of the time. Patriot allowed access only when chasing a terrorist, but this next bill will say that all businesses must give 100% access no matter what.
Re:If you've done nothing wrong (Score:3, Interesting)
If you are a modern peasant/corporate work and not a rich/modern noble with resources, of course you have something to fear. History teaches us to be fearful and paranoid because governments can radically change their minds within 2-3 generations. You aren't nearly as safe as you think you are.
Re:Is it useful? (Score:3, Interesting)
My father (who's from Uruguay like me, and a board member of a prominent international organization) has visited both Japan and the US, and from what he described, the process is far more denigrating in the US.
Not to mention tales of people from my country being abused, incarcerated and returned from the US, while no-one that I know of has been turned away from Japan.