FBI assembling database on Americans, according to report: 5 revelations

Article

The FBI is assembling a massive database on thousands of Americans, many of whom have not been accused of any crime, the Washington Post's Dana Priest and William Arkin report. The reporters' latest look at the country's ballooning national security system focuses on the role that local agencies -- often staffed by people with little to no counter-terrorism training -- have played in combating terrorism since 2001

1. The FBI's Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative currently contains 161,948 suspicious activity files, into which authorities can put information they've gathered about the people at the center of the files: employment history, financial documents, phone numbers, photos. In many cases, the people in the files have not been accused of any crime but have attracted the suspicions of a local cop, FBI agent or even fellow citizen. The files have led to five arrests but no convictions, the FBI says. Some of the files are unclassified so that local police agencies and even businesses can submit reports on anyone they deem suspicious.

The article lists 5 "revelations". Number 1 is listed above.

The article also talks about how DHS dosent know how much money it spends on "fusion" centers, which synthesize security information, officials at these centers have little to no experience in understanding terrorism and they bring in

self-styled experts with fairly extreme views on the scope of the Muslim terrorist threat are asked to come in and train local authorities

Then, some centers are left without help or guidance from DHS and end up leading to stuff like this -

Virginia's fusion center named historically black colleges as a "potential" terrorism hub

At the end of the list, the article says many states and cities use the anti-terrorism funds to instead fight local crime.

Hmmm. Interesting post, but I'm pretty sure that if most of us didn't already believe this has been going on for many years, this site probably wouldn't exist.

It's a known fact that J. Edgar Hoover did this back in the 50's. I'm sure it's been carried on ever since then.

reply to post by webpirate


I would guess most of us here on ATS have known something like this has been around for awhile.

What suprised me was that this article was on the front page of yahoo.com. I really wouldnt of thought something like this would of actually made it to mainstream news.

Here's one comment on the webpage, I'd never heard about this,

This is a surprise?!? * It took General Motors 5 years to get a court order getting the Federal Government out of their On-Star program... * The first 5 years of On-Star, was connected to a Federal Data Base. The Fed figured that people, feel private and alone in their cars, so they would feel free to say stuf they would never say anywhere else... so the Fed listened in... * GM immediately took it to court but with Federal delay tactics, it took 5 years..

How much redundancy can law enforcement take? We have the NSA, the FBI, the CIA, and Fusion centers along with Google and Yahoo pretty much gathering the same information.
This is a classic government circle jerk to get funding for themselves.

So they break the law in order to enforce it. Got it.

Doesn't that make them criminals?

And nevermind the 20 million illegal aliens here.

I'm embarrassed to be an American.

I can't find the reference right now, but awhile back I remember seeing/reading something about law enforcement buying intelligence from private firms that would do the spying for them. Apparently it's a end-run around the whole warrant thing. Law enforcement agencies are barred from getting phone call records and whatnot without a court order, but they are not barred from buying the same data from a private corporation that does the spying for them.

So this story doesn't really surprise me. It does seem that as time goes on, the FBI seems more shady the more I learn about it.

Not surprising in the least. To those who like the idea of Obama care, which requires all Americans to be insured or face penalties I ask you this.

How do you think the Governmen is going to know who has insurance and who does not?

Answer - yet another massive databank full of personal information.

Sometimes I think these government databanks serve an unintended purpose. The Government creates the list to monitor whatever its designed for, and in the end I think they see the writing on the wall in terms of what society is expecting.

Create a database to "monitor" citizens who are pissed at the Government, and they will find its not a vocal minority. Sometimes I think this is done to serve as a reminder to the people who wanted the database that in reality they are still out of touch and underestimating the American people.

As a reminder, King George also underestimated the colonist.