Next President will know you far better than you know her or him
When it comes right down to it, how much do we really know about the person we’ll elect to the most important job in the nation? Whether it’s Obama, Clinton, McCain or Romney, our knowledge of those racing for the nation’s top office is quite limited. We know what they and the media let us know basically.
But whether it’s a Democrat or Republican ushered into office, make no mistake, they will know plenty about you:
“FBI wants palm prints, eye scans, tattoo mapping”
CLARKSBURG, West Virginia (CNN) — The FBI is gearing up to create a massive computer database of people’s physical characteristics, all part of an effort the bureau says to better identify criminals and terrorists.
But it’s an issue that raises major privacy concerns — what one civil liberties expert says should concern all Americans.
The bureau is expected to announce in coming days the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to help create the database that will compile an array of biometric information — from palm prints to eye scans.
Kimberly Del Greco, the FBI’s Biometric Services section chief, said adding to 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.”
But it’s unnerving to privacy experts.
“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,” said Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Technology and Liberty Project.
As Jamie at Intoxination wrote, Welcome to the Surveillance Society. While one can still hope that the future will bring change, the simple fact is this:
The United States is currently a nation that will cut health care benefits well before it stops investing in technologies to spy on its own citizens. And while investing more for more wars on more fronts. That is the reality. And just hoping that one of the two U.S. Political Parties will put a stop to the obliteration of your civil rights means they know you far better than you know them.
–WKW