Monday, February 11, 2008

The FBI's Growing Database

As I browsed through the news the other day, I came across an article which perfectly relates to last Monday’s class discussion on privacy. The article discusses the FBI’s desire to form a database of palm prints, eye scans, and tattoo mapping, in what they call an effort to better identify criminals and terrorists. Although the FBI claims that the database is "important to protect the borders to keep the terrorists out, protect our citizens, our neighbors, our children so they can have good jobs, and have a safe country to live in," privacy experts aren’t so confident.

As one opponent explains, “It's the beginning of the surveillance society where you can be tracked anywhere, any time and all your movements, and eventually all your activities will be tracked and noted and correlated.” I mentioned earlier in class about my time in London and how the privacy is both 1) much more closely tracked, and 2) much more stringent in its policies. Now, I’m starting to feel that same pressure here in the states.

At first glance it may not seem to be a huge deal that the FBI wants to add eye scans, palm prints, and tattoo and scar mapping to the existing fingerprint database. I mean, that database is used for criminals, right? And I’m no criminal, you may think. But no, the database isn’t just reserved for these rebellious groups. Now, as the article explains, “more than 55 percent of the checks the FBI runs involve criminal background checks for people applying for sensitive jobs in government or jobs working with vulnerable people such as children and the elderly.”

As Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union explains “This had started out being a program to track or identify criminals…now we're talking about large swaths of the population -- workers, volunteers in youth programs. Eventually, it's going to be everybody.” I’m in the market for a job and I don’t think I’d be pleased with a database that treated me in a way that used to be reserved for criminals. Plus, where does all this information and tracking end? IS there an end?

3 Comments:

Blogger Ashley said...

It is scary to think that the FBI could get all of this information on us. I think in some way it makes me feel a little more protected as an American citizen. But I agree with you about where should the line be drawn in order to protect our own privacy. I think in certain government jobs it is expected that people will have to have their palms and eyes scanned. If we trust them with national secrets or something that has to do with our national security, I want to make sure they don’t plan on selling out to another country. I think on a more personal level though, I would want to make sure that my kids were safe, so I would want that background information of the daycare workers that I leave my son or daughter with. When my parents are placed in a nursing home, one day, I want them to have the best people working for them, so if they can hire the best people from this scanning process I don’t have a problem with it. I believe that if we don’t have anything to hide it shouldn’t be a problem. I think the lack of trust is what brought us to this point. The only way we would be able to get a little taste of freedom would be if we lived in a utopian society. I’m pretty sure that won’t happen in our lifetime, so we might as well get use to the fact that the government plans to make their way into our daily lives. I’m just wondering where will all of this information go, and will it be available for all of the public to see or just the government…I guess we will just have to wait and see.

8:36 AM  
Blogger Professor Prenkert said...

Check out this article for an international angle on the issues Lilly raises.

3:57 PM  
Blogger wtravis said...

I am not so uneasy about this. I feel that I am an upstanding citizen and don't have much to hide from the government. Sure I wish that they didn't know everything about me but if that means they are able to better protect America, I am willing to make a little sacrifice.

Plus I am not really sure that I see the issue. I am guessing that the palm scans etc. would take place when you are being interviewed for a job, traveling, and maybe some other things. I don't see the problem, companies already do extensive background checks and while traveling you carry passports and IDs. If palm scans are the way to ensure that evil doers don't slip through the cracks. I say go for it, scan my palms. My hands are clean.

5:07 PM  

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