Across
the country, law enforcement officials will now have access to a database of
over 50 million visa applications, including personal information, and even
photographs.
A central computer system will soon link up the State Department and the INS with intelligence
agencies, the FBI and police departments across America. The information would
fill five million floppy disks.
The system will serve as a resource for 100,000 investigators seeking government
data that is considered "sensitive but unclassified" information.
Officials believe this swiftly-organized and massive effort represents a real
breakthrough in security, one that could help prevent the kind of tragic errors
that allowed for some of the 9/11 terrorists to get visas and remain in the US.
On the other hand, such a tremendous amount of data is a lot to handle, and with
so many people having access, skeptics are leary about how well it will work;
important clues may slip through the cracks, some fear.
One feature which may help prevent just that is a new program that allows FBI
agents and other law enforcement to exchange encrypted e-mails. In the past,
messages were sent by fax, mail or courier. Things could get misplaced or routed
to the wrong party. This change comes as the FBI is updating its extremely
antiquated computer system, which is painfully slow, outdated and
compartmentalized.
Also flowing into the system will be articles and reports on illegal activity
around the globe, from drug trafficking to smuggling. It will also include
technical data and maps. And foreign intelligence will be able to share details
as well. This Open Source Information System is a portal where 14 agencies pool
information.
In the past, law enforcement had to search existing arrest records or DMV
databases for photographs, which was often limiting and time consuming. Now, 20
million photographs will be at their fingertips.
Although this information was always open to law enforcement, it was much, much
harder to come by. The new, easy access is of course raising the eyebrows of
civil liberties groups who argue that it represents a gross breach of respect
for personal privacy.
Opponents believe that law enforcement will be more likely to stop people who
simply look suspicious because they know they have a better chance of tracking
their information. This could lead to a sort of profiling that many believe is
unfair. But as with so many new procedures and systems that are sprouting up
post 9/11, a reversal is unlikely indeed.
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