Nearly 40% Of Those On The Government's Terrorist Watchlist Have 'No Affiliation With Recognized Terrorism Groups'
from the idk-lol dept
Another leak has surfaced at The Intercept, notably a non-Snowden leak ("obtained from a source in the intelligence community") that shows the utter ridiculousness of the government's terrorist watchlist. Nothing states it better than the universal shrug judiciously applied to the 280,000 people that make up the largest portion of the chart.
The culmination of post-9/11 policies and the steady erosion of civil liberties in the service of "fighting terrorism" has opened up nearly 300,000 people to additional scrutiny because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .
The list has increased 10-fold during Obama's stay in office, growing from 47,000 at the end of Bush's term to 680,000, 40% of whom the government is sure represent some sort of a threat, even if it can't quantify that in any specific way.
When U.S. officials refer to "the watchlist," they typically mean the TSDB, an unclassified pool of information shared across the intelligence community and the military, as well as local law enforcement, foreign governments, and private contractors. According to the government's watchlisting guidelines, published by The Intercept last month, officials don't need"concrete facts" or "irrefutable evidence" to secretly place someone on the list—only a vague and elastic standard of "reasonable suspicion."It's long been noted that articulable facts are unwanted guests in the War on Terrorism (and War on Drugs) discussion. Instead, hunches and gut feelings are elevated to places formerly occupied by Fourth Amendment protections.
This group of people, shrugged into "nomination" by a variety of government agencies, is then shared with law enforcement, private contractors and foreign governments. That's at least 280,000 people being vetted with impunity by a variety of TSDB end users -- people who are deemed too dangerous to go unsurveilled but not dangerous enough to arrest or investigate further.
If there's any good news here, it's that at least some form of filtering is used to keep the database from swelling exponentially.
Most people placed on the government's watchlist begin in a larger, classified system known as the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE). The TIDE database actually allows for targeting people based on far less evidence than the already lax standards used for placing people on the watchlist. A more expansive—and invasive—database, TIDE's information is shared across the U.S. intelligence community, as well as with commando units from the Special Operations Command and with domestic agencies such as the New York City Police Department.Those running TIDE have actually celebrated the fact that they recently added the millionth name to the database, failing to see that the constantly-increasing database is actually an admission of failure. If the system was working, the number of names should remain nearly constant, as those who aren't threats are removed from the list (something which apparently never happens) and those that are threats are rounded up (or otherwise disposed of).
And there seems to be a hint of racial profiling contained within the TSDB numbers.
The top five U.S. cities represented on the main watchlist for "known or suspected terrorists" are New York; Dearborn, Mich.; Houston; San Diego; and Chicago. At 96,000 residents, Dearborn is much smaller than the other cities in the top five, suggesting that its significant Muslim population—40 percent of its population is of Arab descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau—has been disproportionately targeted for watchlisting.Beyond this nearly-suspicionless watchlisting, there's further privacy concerns, prompted by the addition of millions of pieces of biometric data from American citizens, something that ramped up immediately following the Boston Bombing.
In the aftermath of last year's Boston Marathon bombing, the Directorate of Terrorist Identities began an aggressive program to collect biometric data and other information on all Americans on the TIDE list. "This project includes record by record research of each person in relevant Department of State and [intelligence community] databases, as well as bulk data requests for information," the documents note.That the many agencies tasked with counterterrorism are operating on instinct rather than articulable suspicion is nothing surprising. The large number of people with "no known terrorist affiliation" being added to a terrorist watchlist is the natural progression of bad policies with 12 years of momentum behind them.
The DTI also worked on the subsequent Chicago Marathon, performing "deep dives" for biometric and other data on people in the Midwest whose names were on the TIDE list. In the process, the directorate pulled the TIDE records of every person with an Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin driver license.
As an additional note, it appears the US government attempted to "scoop" The Intercept by leaking a much more friendly recap of the leaked watchlist details to the AP, at least according to the this tweet by Jeremy Scahill, one of the post's authors.
US government, pissed we were publishing our story, tried to undermine us by leaking it to other news organization right before we published
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) August 5, 2014
US government, pissed we were publishing our story, tried to undermine us by leaking it to other news organization right before we publishedA look at the AP piece seems to confirm this, as it presents something more akin to press release than a serious dive into the numbers. (More confirmation at the Huffington Post. The government claims its scoop "theft" was a "mistake.") It also makes no mention of the information appearing at The Intercept first. The AP's "story" presents this as mostly a triumph by the government, with only the briefest aside about privacy or civil liberties concerns.
This excerpt is indicative of the (very short) article's credulousness:
The database's growth is a result of the government's response to a failed attempt to blow up a commercial airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009. The terror operative's name was included in the database before the attack, but it was not on a list that would have prevented him from getting on a U.S.-bound airplane. Since then, the government has lowered the standards for placing someone on the no-fly list and intelligence agencies have become more diligent about submitting names to the TIDE database.And here's the entirety of the "discussion" about the possible negative of an inflated, nearly-suspicionless watchlist of terrorist suspects.
The database was created after the 9/11 terror attacks when it became clear that the government's terror watch list was ineffective. The watch list was once maintained in a rolodex and in paper notebooks, according to redacted photographs provided by the National Counterterrorism Center.
The government does not need evidence that links someone to terrorism in order for the person to be included in the database. This is among the reasons the database and subsequent terror watch lists have been criticized by privacy advocates.The AP says it has "learned," but it looks more like it was handed some talking points and an ultra-tight deadline. With thousands of news outlets pulling in the AP feed, this will allow the government to get out ahead of the leak, or at the very least, present a cohesive media presence that presents a "fair" portrayal of its out-of-control counterterrorism databases.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: dhs, homeland security, terrorist watchlist, terrorists, tsdb, watchlist
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I never realised...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I never realised...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I never realised...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Dearborn
Obama has done far more to marginalize the Muslim community than anyone could dream
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
unwise
That kind of behavior is going to discourage reporters from their current practice of checking with the government to see if there are legitimate dangers in publishing information.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The public panic over "terrorism" and the support for anti-terrorism measures is easier to manage when you can point to outside groups, a demonized "other", but it's much harder when the threat is actually within your own.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Why would you think that?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
The point is that the government and media narrative paints a very misleading picture of the threats here in the US. The fact that they didn't call out non-muslim groups by name in the graph isn't surprising.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
What attacks are you referring to? I can think of only one attack inside the US that was conducted by an organized terrorist group. Either you're very wrong or you're very right (and there are attacks going on that aren't getting reported) :-).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Might be a regional thing. In my part of the country, actions by eco-terrorist and animal liberation groups are absolutely and consistently called terrorism.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Houston and San Diego
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I thought that the watch list would be at least at least 2,721,000 larger...
2,721,000 US Federal emnployees as indicated in Forbes, and as the members of the DOD are apparently still considered patriots and merely perform the whims of .gov are not included in the above.
If we add US military members the number jumps another 1.4 million or so.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
They don't know how to do quality or timeliness, and since they have to do something, they go for quantity.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
They were America residents. The term "Americans" is about as elastic as everything else in this discussion. For legal purposes, being in America with a valid resident style visa would be enough to make you "American".
The Boston bombings (and for that matter everything back to the Murrow building event) shows that there are many risks inside the US as well - from native born Americans and those in the country via immigration, visa, or other less honest means.
The list has increased 10-fold during Obama's stay in office, growing from 47,000 at the end of Bush's term to 680,000, 40% of whom the government is sure represent some sort of a threat, even if it can't quantify that in any specific way.
I always get a laugh when it comes to claims like these. I have a problem with any political discussion that starts with claiming X did more than Y. It shows a political leaning and an attempt to shade one party or the other, a clear indication that what's to follow was written with that goal in mind.
Tim, news flash for you: During the Bush administration, the list went from a single person (the first one they put on) to 47,000 - that is a massive 470,000% increase! Perhaps you should be thankful that Obama's government has worked to slow down the insane increases that happened during the Bush "administration".
Oh, and I noticed that they managed to work "bulk data collection" into the story too... make sure you touch all the hot button points along the way!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Why not follow your stellar example of piling up bogus and clueless statements any chance you get?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
They were America residents. "
Ah, you can't agree with or dispute any of the criticisms in the article, so straight to splitting hairs in a comment...
You're both right. They were American residents, and I believe both had actually become naturalised citizens before the time of the bombing. But, that doesn't necessarily make them "Americans" depending on who you ask and which law you're applying.
"I have a problem with any political discussion that starts with claiming X did more than Y."
Even if it's true? No wonder you're always wrong if you have to try and find ways to avoid facts that make you uncomfortable. Note that the statement didn't say "Obama is worse/better than Bush because X", it simply compared numbers under both administrations and noted that one was significantly higher.
"During the Bush administration, the list went from a single person (the first one they put on) to 47,000 - that is a massive 470,000% increase!"
Ah, we're back to half-truths again, are we? While, of course, smugly trying to attack other for the same.
It has to be noted that while furiously typing your own "facts" (uncited, of course), you absolutely failed to refute the fact you were addressing. Whether or not Bush increased the list massively in his time, the fact is that it has also increased disproportionately under Obama's watch. You don't have to adhere to any of the moronic "sides" to see and admit this.
Of course, you won't admit it, but you do take the time to ensure that you use a different metric to make your facts sound higher (percentages), whereas it would look smaller if you used the same metric as the article (raw numbers). Because of this, you expect us to believe that an increase by 47,000 is worse than an increase by 633,000 just because they started from a lower number. You won't state why, of course, except for your own misplaced belief in your own correctness and the belief that everybody should take your faulty opinions at face value.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
You know, there is a definite unemployment problem in the US today and what with inflation and high costs and all, I was just wondering if you'd be kind enough to post the email address of those who are paying you to post here, and likely elsewhere.
If they are willing to pay you actual money for posting the drivel you do so often, its quite likely that many here would be able to earn a little extra income for posting similarly pathetic drivel in their spare time, for your employers.
Thank you in advance.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Response to: Anonymous Coward on Aug 5th, 2014 @ 1:31pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Judo
That would make for an interesting headline...
"All of the USA on no-fly list. Domestic and international flights grounded until unknown mysterious process removes some people from the (alleged) list at some time in the future. Maybe."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There was another case some years ago, under Bush. A school teacher who was rather verbal in his disapproval of the administration. He got to Canada and then couldn't return.
Another American citizen was allowed to go overseas and then was blocked from returning by plane. I believe he took a cruise line to get back.
On the whole, with the list hidden from public view it is a sure place to put the problem children you'd rather not hear from as far as the government is concerned. This isn't about terrorism. This is about preventing embarrassment. When the list is hidden, who can complain and get results. At best you go to court and find out either you don't have standing or you can't get the data to prove it in court.
Either way comes down to the same thing. A government gone rabid. 280,000 people are terrorists? Come on here, who is trying to fool whom?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Interesting Aside
However, the government has still not identified the leaker.
I thought they did 100% auditing over there? Hmmmm...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
According to doc, secret DNA collection seems to strech into US citizens too.
This lines up with several state legislations pushed in past decade to mandatory collect DNA during arrests. This suggests, there is another secret program going on.
This also lines up with IBM getting contracts with many foreign governments for citizens databases.
If I were Glen Greenwald, I would pursue that trail.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
How about the "Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newborn_Screening_Saves_Lives_Act_of_2007
You know, "Baby's First Test"
http://www.babysfirsttest.org/
If you were born in a US hospital after May 2008, chances are your DNA profile is already in some gov database. Not that that info would ever be abused.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If even 1% of the people on the list are terrorists, that's 6,800 terrorists in the US. If that's the case, we're doomed. You could arrest one per day over the next 18 years and still have enough slip through to have an attack every month.
If less than 1% of the people on the list are terrorists... what is even the point of keeping a list of people who have less than a 1% chance of being a terrorist?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Just by visiting this site we are all ending up on a list somewhere since we are voicing dissent of how our governments do things
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The other 60% of the population do...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not to nitpick
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Not to nitpick
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Given how the FBI like to manufacture crime these days
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
They forgot something
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Statistical Math
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Statistical Math
That's not precisely true. Prior to 2003, there were multiple such lists (every law enforcement agency had their own). What happened under Bush was that they were all consolidated into a single list.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Institution of Paranoia
In other words, this is just the list of folks that the USG doesn't care enough about to prevent them from knowing they're on a list, which they will learn as soon as the USG stops them from boarding a plane.
I'm certain there must be dozens if not hundreds of other lists the government agencies keep tabs on regularly to let them know where all of the suspected "bad people" are at any given time.
For example, there must be at least one list that lets people fly because their jobs necessitate them flying to other countries, even though they are considered a "risk".
These people would become aware of their being spied on if they were to be detained due to taking a plane, so they need to be allowed to fly while still being watched closely.
And what about the No-Hire lists. Lists of people suspected to be hackers... or worse... who are caused to be fired from any hi-tech jobs as soon as the employer registers them for income tax purposes.... or suspected bomb makers, or suspected anti-government artists and writers, or.... well the list of lists just goes on and on....
Normal individual paranoia is bad enough, but Institutionalized Paranoia is all-encompassing eventually.
---
[ link to this | view in chronology ]