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War on Terror Worries Privacy Advocates Kevin Curran, NewsMax.comHas the attack on America led to an attack on Americans’ privacy? That’s what an unlikely coalition of congressional representatives and interest groups fears as Washington moves to stop terrorist threats. The closely monitored society described by George Orwell in the novel "1984" could move one step closer to reality 17 years later than Orwell predicted. Legal protections of how Americans think, feel, choose and vote are considered sacrosanct. These laws allow citizens to do things such as worship and take political action without fear of persecution. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, Attorney General John Ashcroft asked Congress to quickly approve sweeping new powers so federal agents could monitor the activities of suspected terrorists and hold them for questioning. Ashcroft got most of what he wanted, but with significant restrictions demanded by congressmen such as conservative Republican Bob Barr and liberal Democrat Barney Frank. Said Barr, "On these issues we see eye-to-eye.” In today’s interconnected society, the fight to protect privacy can seem like an uphill battle. New technologies by themselves could significantly erode the freedoms many Americans take for granted. Put together, they could create a nearly transparent society in which Big Brother could watch over the movements of people, e-mail and telephone conversations with little oversight. A review of current technologies by BusinessWeek magazine reveals many monitoring tools that faced widespread opposition before the attacks may be more acceptable to the public. Privacy advocate and former Federal Trade Commissioner Robert Pitofsky explained: "Terrorists swim in a society in which privacy is protected. If some invasions of privacy are necessary to bring them out into the open, most people are going to say, ‘OK, go ahead.’” And what programs are likely to get the go-ahead?
Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner James Ziglar says INS and FBI computers will soon be linked. He would also like airlines to submit passenger lists to the INS to keep tabs on potential suspects.
President Bush has voiced his opposition to the idea. With new technology, such a card could contain much more than your name, address and picture. Citizens of Malaysia are now issued cards with a computer chip that serves as their driver’s license, automatic teller card, health care system ID and passport.
GPS satellite systems in vehicles and wireless phones can pinpoint a person’s location within 10 feet. A security committee convened by Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta recommends facial recognition systems at airports. The usefulness of these systems is currently questionable, because they are prone to false alerts.
Carnivore allows agents to monitor all e-mail transmissions through Internet service providers. The ISP connection permits interception of traffic not only to the suspected terrorist, but also to any other customer of the company. The FBI is expected to ask ISPs and wireless telephone carriers to make their systems easier to access. While polls show Americans wish to retain their privacy and keep law enforcement agencies in check, surveys after Sept. 11 indicate some support for these proposals. Eighty-six percent of respondents were behind expansion of facial recognition technology, 81 percent favored closer monitoring of financial transactions, and 68 percent backed a national ID card. Although generally on opposite sides of issues, members of the Eagle Forum and the American Civil Liberties Union say they will be keeping an eye on how federal officials use their newly granted powers and future programs. "We are very much against the government monitoring activities of law-abiding Americans,” said Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum, "whether it’s computers or video cameras or e-mail.” Supporters of expanded monitoring powers are likely to point to the case of Khalid Al-Midhar to back their side. Al-Midhar came to the attention of American intelligence officials after meeting with an associate of Osama bin Laden in Malaysia in 1999. The INS put him on a list of potential terrorists, then learned he was already in the U.S. The FBI was asked to find him, but could not determine his location. If the INS and FBI databases were linked with commercial systems, his purchase of an airline ticket on his Visa card or his name on a passenger list could have alerted authorities. In addition, the videotape of his meeting in Malaysia could have been loaded into a facial-recognition system and stopped him at the airport. None of these systems were in place on Sept. 11, when Al-Midhar boarded an American Airlines flight in Boston that later crashed into the World Trade Center.
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