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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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 Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:58 pm Post subject: US govt collects data on Americans overseas: Washington Post |
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US govt collects data on Americans overseas: Washington Post
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US government is compiling electronic files on the travel habits of millions of Americans who take trips overseas, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
Citing documents obtained by a civil liberties group and statements by unnamed government officials, the newspaper said the retained data included travel companions, persons with whom Americans plan to stay abroad, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried.
The personal travel records are intended to be stored for as long as 15 years as part of the Department of Homeland Security's effort to assess the security threat posed by all travelers entering the country, the report said.
Officials say the records, which are analyzed by the department's Automated Targeting System, help border officials distinguish potential terrorists from innocent people entering the country, The Post said.
But new details about the information being retained suggest that the government is monitoring the personal habits of travelers more closely than it has previously acknowledged, the report said.
The Automated Targeting System has been used to screen passengers since the mid-1990s, but the collection of data for it has been greatly expanded and automated since 2002, according to the paper.
Officials defended the retention of highly personal data on travelers not involved in or linked to any violations of the law, the report said.
But civil liberties advocates have alleged that the type of information preserved by the department raises alarms about the government's ability to intrude into the lives of ordinary people, The Post pointed out.
The millions of travelers whose records are kept by the government are generally unaware of what their records say, and the government has not created an effective mechanism for reviewing the data and correcting any errors, activists said, the paper said.
The activists alleged that the data collection effort, as carried out now, violates the Privacy Act, which bars the gathering of data related to Americans' exercise of their First Amendment rights, such as their choice of reading material or persons with whom to associate, according to the report. |
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pharflung
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:52 am Post subject: |
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| If you click on the blue hyperlink you'll see that it is the title of the Yahoo news article. You may also have noticed that it was in the quoted section as well, indicating that the headline itself is part of the quoted article. |
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 5:09 am Post subject: |
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The AFP is the abbreviation for the "Associated Foreign Press," commonly referred to as, "The Wire," or, "wire reports." The U.S. version is, "The Associated Press (AP)," most articles printed will have either "AP or AFP," as their source.
Your right, this probably should have been in the Current Events Forum. |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 5:28 am Post subject: |
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| As someone who would not be considered a travel or flight risk whatsoever, I don't mind it. Also, they may record my companions and books and whatever else, but since everything including my nether regions and crevices has the potential to be searched, I take it as a given. Why do they write articles on this anyway? As much as people talk about it, you'd think it's a waste of paper! |
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Woland
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:48 am Post subject: |
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AFP is Agence France-Presse, a long-established and well-respected foreign new organization, something akin to AP or Reuters.
Here's a link to their website:
http://www.afp.com/english/home/ |
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pest2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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hmmm yeah, it is kinda creepy. I do think it violates the privacy act... We have a right to have any information about us revealed to us upon request. I assume we could request the information they are holding on us, but until I read this, I had no idea such info was being collected... has there been any effort to make travelers aware this information is being collected? I dont think so... Also, obviously if I decide to get academic and read about the studies of Osama bin laden, I might get targeted as a terrorist.. which means my first amendment rights are also being violated since I am not being allowed to read certain things.... badda boom badda bing, another one of our civil liberties gets flushed down the toilet. I hope this patriot act crapp goes away but I think its only going to get worse as technology makes it easier to play big brother.
Another intesting question is about how they are collecting the data. Last time I left the USA and came back to Korea (in April), no one interviewed to ask any questions that would have been needed to collect the data for the "study"... No one asked me who I was going with, what I was bringing, how long I'd be gone, etc etc... I guess they could get some of the info from the airlines and/or travel reservations and bags being checked and whatnot... if thats the case, it might be in violation of some non-disclosure statutes as well. |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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| pest2 wrote: |
Another intesting question is about how they are collecting the data. Last time I left the USA and came back to Korea (in April), no one interviewed to ask any questions that would have been needed to collect the data for the "study"... No one asked me who I was going with, what I was bringing, how long I'd be gone, etc etc... I guess they could get some of the info from the airlines and/or travel reservations and bags being checked and whatnot... |
That's because you probably don't look Middle Eastern. |
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ChopChaeJoe
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Great, now I'll have to shed a few unused condoms when i return on a flight. It's really no one's business but my own that i didn't get laid the whole time I was away. |
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