Spying On Your Ex-Girlfriend Not Quite What Homeland Security's Database Is For
from the just-saying... dept
Every time we hear of yet another plan for the government to set up yet another database of information about people, we wonder about how it will be misused. Supporters always talk about how helpful such databases are (which is debatable), but rarely are willing to take into account how such systems are going to be abused -- and they're always abused. The latest such case involves an employee at the Department of Commerce who used a Department of Homeland Security database to track an ex-girlfriend. This wasn't just a one-off thing either. He apparently used the database 163 times to check up on her. Then he threatened to have the woman deported and her family killed. So, as the government continues to push the boundaries in trying to collect more and more data on everyone, it's at least worth asking if the potential for abuses is taken into consideration and how they're dealt with (if they're dealt with at all).![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Filed Under: database, homeland security, privacy
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Security?
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Re:
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You Don't Know
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Re: You Don't Know
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Re: You Don't Know
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when a trusted servant (govt employee) committs a crime using their office there should be a mandatory maximum sentence imposed that is at least 15 years in a nasty prison, like, say , gitmo, for crimes against the people (for all you flag waving inbreds, WE are the people)
have a nice day
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"We have the right to be abused equaly..."
Just a thought LOL.
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Re: Re: You Don't Know
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Nut job
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Re: Re: Re: You Don't Know
Reminds me of traffic cops who speed then later give out tickets for speeding.. do as I SAY, NOT as I do.
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Terrorists and Fear
Lest we forget: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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Who says an inability to think is always a bad thing!
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I'd always wondered why people cared so much about privacy -the government can watch me all you want, I'm a very boring normal person.
Then one day I realized that while the great majority of people in the world are wonderful, it's the one in a thousand lunatic or criminal you have to watch out for.
Having all this private information sitting on insecure computers opens the door wide for extreme abuse of personal information about people who have no means of protecting themselves.
You cannot argue against the need of law enforcement to collect and use this information to protect us. It would be like saying medical records are evil because doctors might misuse them for nefarious purposes.
The key is that the government has a responsibility to keep this information private, and must design procedures and policies that prevent it from being misused. In this case, this individual violated enough existing laws to put him away for a long time and he should not be treated with any leniancy.
The real question is how did he get away with repeated misuse of the system? It proves that the government does not adequately safegurd the private data it already has.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: You Don't Know
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163
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Google
All the smart stalkers work for Google.
They have better databases...
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You're an idiot and your position is indefensible. The guy threatened to kill this woman, and her family or have them deported. A federal grand jury did not indict him for "doing his job", it indicted him for illegally obtaining data to further his stalking. The "liberal" press didn't make up this indictment, nor the facts that caused a grand jury to indict. You actually think that this guy was indicted for just doing his job? Something tells me you have more than a passing familiarity with the business end of a restraining order yourself.
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It's quite telling that you would rather have laws protecting government employees not citizens from misguided prosecution.
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Re: Re: You Don't Know
/sarcasm off
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Ummm... of debatable value?
Guess what? EVERY government program is subject to abuse. So the answer is not to do nothing, the answer is to attempt to strike the right balance. The problem with government databases is not that they don't have value or are subject to abuse, but that dealing with the security and privacy issues are hard and often thought of after the fact.
I do consulting work for a major law enforcement agency and based on what I've seen and learned, I think we should be doing more to help these hard-working folks do their jobs efficiently and well. That does not mean giving up rights, but it does mean being both understanding and reasonable. The kinds of schemes these people are investigating are almost always now global, involving large numbers of people, all using terabytes of fraudulent and misleading information.
It makes me wonder why organizations like the ACLU and (insert right-wing organization here) can't acknowledge the difficulties involved in upholding the laws and work to help law enforcement do their jobs well instead of waiting for them to do something misguided and sue.
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Re:
Your line of reasoning is more dangerous that dear Alan's. At least everyone can see he's an idiot. Your statement comes across as reasonable so not many people are going to actually think about it and know that it's not.
A doctor needs to know my medical history to make an informed diagnosis. The government does NOT need to tap my phone to protect me from terrorists
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Re: Ummm... of debatable value?
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163 times??
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Re: Re: Re: Re: You Don't Know
That's hardly fair, I'm sure I saw Dorpus make an intelligent observation once.
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Re: Re: Ummm... of debatable value?
The problem is that given the heterogeneity of America, there is no longer agreement on majority rights. Personally, I think that tyranny of the minority is just as bad as the majority. The rights of individuals can be extrapolated too far just as group rights can. As I said before, the hard part is finding the right balance.
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Re: Nut job
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APM
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Re: Tom Greenshaw you are Dangerous
Thank you AmericaCorrupted - Post #13 for your great quote even you prefer to focus wonderment on the unknowable - what a way to drive yourself crazy.
Next thing on the government to do list:
1.Create Terrorism Insurance so companies can recover from their hurricane losses
2.Continue taxing 80% of Americans and create more benefits for the remaining 20%
3.Tax smokers - an adult pleasure - to help children
4.Require schooling to the age of 18 when majority of kids do not want to learn and actually further the diminution of our school system everyday, hurting the minority who want to learn - because the minority are put through a defective system - as well as the majority who don't want to learn - because they are defecting the system and not learning how to work, which is all they want to do.
5.Oh yeah not to mention, hinder 99.99% of the population with security requirements at airports so that they can catch the .01% of the population that would ever commit a crime on an airplane. Or I suppose that might not work either since criminals don't go through the expensive security systems in the largest cities, but only the small cities like mine where security is a joke! But at least they can waste money on making people feel safer that way.
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Abuse gos way deeper than you know
Maybe Homeland Security is involved as well.
Their targets are minoritys, whistle blowers, people opposing the war, and people with opposing political views of the political group in power for that community.
These watch groups have grown in huge numbers because of the threat of terrorism.
Their gang stalking techniques are a form of torture, and being taught be x-military and government agents. Thier purpose is to destroy their targets lives.
There is plenty of information about this new form of Nazi like terrorism on the Internet.
I have heard that there is a large concern about homeland terrorists; well you need look no further than Gang Stalking.
Do a goggle search on "Gang Stalking".
Questions
Are community watch groups being supported by forms of grants from the Homeland Security Department? Follow the Money.
Are there checks and balances in place regarding the choice of leaders in HS community watch groups to stop abuse?
This is a violation of the 4th amendment, and I believe it can be stopped by strong legislation and powerful civil rights lawsuits.
But until it reaches the forum of public debate, where once it becomes known that there are sever penalties for illegal constitutional violations, this evil tool being used by the leaders of stalking groups for the purpose of controlling the stalkers and those being stalked, will be the undoing of the USA.
Because in a short period of time, there will be millions of Americans spying on millions of Americans. And the spies will think they are justified in doing it because of the Patriot ACT.
Please, I pray you bring this to the public forum and enact serious legislation to stop this activity. Homeland security deputies should not have this kind of abusive power.
The Patriot Act will be the destruction of the USA.
Please do not grant any immunity to those involved.
Enact serious legislation to stop Gang Staling now.
It is a growing epidemic, and presents a huge danger to our Democracy.
American Patriot of the 1776 Brand.
Born Freemen
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Who thought up this name "Homeland Security"?
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Jammie Garcia
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Gangstalking- Hitler's gift to 21st Century Haters
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