The report: http://www.darpa.mil/body/tia/TIA%20DI.pdf --- To: declanat_private From: Earl Hood <earlat_private> Reply-To: Earl Hood <earlat_private> Subject: TIA changes name Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 11:30:20 -0500 Declan, I guess the name change game is now being used to deflect criticism of TIA: http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=2780754 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A controversial Defense Department program that would comb computer records to identify potential terrorists will have safeguards to ensure it does not violate individual rights, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Responding to concerns that its Total Information Awareness program would allow unfettered surveillance, the Pentagon said in a report to Congress that the program would have built-in mechanisms to ensure that it did not intrude on Americans' privacy. The Pentagon also renamed the program Terrorist Information Awareness. ... --- Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 17:29:05 -0700 To: apisat_private Cc: declanat_private Subject: TIA not meant for "developing dossiers on U.S. citizens", Defense Dept insists From: <planetscapeat_private> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 ************************************************************ TIA report addresses privacy concerns ************************************************************ DARPA releases report and changes program's name from Total to Terrorism Information Awareness. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0519/web-darpa-05-20-03.asp TIA report addresses privacy concerns BY Sara Michael May 20, 2003 RELATED LINKS "Privacy steps forward" [Federal Computer Week, May 19, 2003] "DARPA funds TIA privacy study" [Federal Computer Week, May 19, 2003] "Senate votes to block TIA system" [FCW.com, Jan. 24, 2003] In a report released to Congress today, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency pledged to assess privacy concerns and provide rigorous oversight to a controversial system intended to track terrorist activity. The agency also changed the system's name. The Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA) project, formerly Total Information Awareness, was renamed after privacy groups raised concerns the system would gather sensitive information and track American citizens. "This name created in some minds the impression that TIA was a system to be used for developing dossiers on U.S. citizens," the report stated. "That is not [the Defense Department's] intent in pursuing this program." TIA is a research project that would integrate search tools, such as data search, translation and pattern recognition, into a network aimed at analyzing possible terrorist activity. The information would then allow policy-makers to make decisions in preventing terrorist attacks, the report stated. Since the program began in fiscal 2003, privacy groups and members of Congress have scrutinized the plans to search government and commercial databases for information. However, the report stated that the system would use only foreign intelligence and counterintelligence information legally obtained and usable by the government under law. The system will also use information from artificial data generated to model behavioral patterns, the report said. TIA is still in the research stage. For it to be used, several factors would be addressed, the report said: * Search tools must be tested to show they are accurate and efficient. * Safeguards must be built in to reduce opportunities for abuse. For example, DARPA is researching an audit trail tool and tools that keep the source of information confidential. * Security measures should be in place to protect against hackers. * Agencies wanting to use TIA must first conduct a legal review that examines the uses of TIA and legal issues raised. * Agencies will also have to develop effective oversight of the system's user before it will be deployed. To continue to assess the privacy concerns, DOD has created an oversight board of senior department and intelligence community representatives, chaired by the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. The Defense secretary also will receive advice on legal and policy issues, the report said. "The protection of privacy and civil liberties is an integral and paramount goal in the development of counterterrorism technologies and in their implementation," the report stated. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Note: This signature can be verified at https://www.hushtools.com/verify Version: Hush 2.3 wkYEARECAAYFAj7MGTcACgkQolNIz60ieGo5bACfdsdwPx6QlYHSHwFUcX0GSi9nsloA oKulqhAVLi6lqJzkqjaCexC7sdZK =lHj4 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? 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