The master list the federal government keeps of known and suspected terrorists, from which other government agencies derive their own watch lists, already hundreds of thousands of names large, is growing out of control, filling with “fragmentary,” “inconsistent” and “sometimes just flat-out wrong” information, a top counterterrorism official said.
The Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, described as “one-stop shopping” for federal watchlisting, collects scraps of intelligence from all across the government, and disseminates it to other government agencies for them to build their own watch lists.
TIDE is the database created after 9/11 to centralize information about known and suspected terrorists. It was based on its predecessor, known as TIPOFF, a State Department terrorism database, and is run out of the new National Counterterrorism Center.
Unlike most other government databases, TIDE mixes records on U.S. citizens with records on aliens. And unlike its predecessor, TIDE can store biometric information such as fingerprints and DNA records.
Unclassified portions of the TIDE database are used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening Center as well as the Transportation Security Administration for its no-fly list and selectee list, as well as many other government agencies. Each agency decides what criteria to use to accept a name from TIDE, which sets a very low bar on what information it will accept.
And therein lies the problem. As anyone who is familiar with computers will tell you, “Garbage in, garbage out.” And so, you get delayed at the airport for hours while people around you think you’re some kind of terrorist, because somebody put bad information into a computer. I warned you.
Sunday’s Washington Post has an excellent description of the TIDE database, how it works, and how it fails.
The single biggest worry that I have is long-term quality control,” said Russ Travers, in charge of TIDE at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean. “Where am I going to be, where is my successor going to be, five years down the road?”
TIDE has also created concerns about secrecy, errors and privacy. The list marks the first time foreigners and U.S. citizens are combined in an intelligence database. The bar for inclusion is low, and once someone is on the list, it is virtually impossible to get off it. At any stage, the process can lead to “horror stories” of mixed-up names and unconfirmed information, Travers acknowledged.
TIDE is a vacuum cleaner for both proven and unproven information, and its managers disclaim responsibility for how other agencies use the data. “What’s the alternative?” Travers said. “I work under the assumption that we’re never going to have perfect information — fingerprints, DNA — on 6 billion people across the planet. . . . If someone actually has a better idea, I’m all ears.” — Washington Post
I have a better idea. Stop creating terrorists in the first place. Stop getting involved in other people’s business. Stop arming the terrorists. Stop funding them. Return America’s foreign policy to what it was supposed to be all along, in the words of Thomas Jefferson: “Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.”
You may call that unrealistic, but you do so without reason. It’s unrealistic to think the U.S. can win an ill-defined “war on terror” without turning into the sort of authoritarian state that we all used to point at and decry its horrors. Look around. It’s not just around the corner anymore; the U.S. has already become that police state. It’s unrealistic to think any foreign policy other than Jefferson’s will restore the United States to the grand old republic we all were told we lived in.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Gardner Goldsmith teams up with Brett Veinotte, of the excellent School Sucks Project and the School Sucks podcast. Gard and Brett discuss the impetus of the series and project, and why public education must be stopped.
The end of a war, to most people, means all the troops come home, out of harm's way. It means we stop killing people and getting killed. It means we stop sending troops and armed personnel over and draining our treasury for military operations in that foreign land. But much like the infamous "mission accomplished" moment of the last administration, this "end" of the war also means none of those things.
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Verbos
Mar 25, 2007
Jefferson did not believe in a “Grand Old Republic”, but supported it because he knew the world was not ready for a pure democracy. Since that time the American people have become more sophisticated and educated. Improved communications between individuals has helped to clarify reality. A pure democracy may never work, but we need more democratic control of the Federal government such as referendum and a major decentralization of power.
LibertyGal
Mar 25, 2007
Jefferson would spin in his grave to hear you say he believed in “Pure Democracy”. He helped to build a republic. Democracy, as he was well aware, is nothing more than two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner.
Verbos
Mar 25, 2007
@LibertyGal
Perhaps you can’t read or maybe it’s your interpretation.
“he knew the world was not ready for a pure democracy”
“A pure democracy may never work”
I suppose you are one of those who are anarchist ready to return to feudalism. Or just was dieing to find a place for your tired analogy.
David
Mar 26, 2007
It may be tired but still holds water. Democracy sucks. Just ask anyone in a minority that the feds are currently going after. What we need is less Federal Gov period, not more democratic control of it. For Christs sake you can not be serious with that idea. You have to be joking.
Palehorse
May 15, 2007
A return to Christ the King and Holy Monarchy would be best.
Dec 28, 2009
Aviation security failed to prevent Christmas Day attack | Homeland Stupidity
how
Jan 07, 2010
How do anyone finds out if their name is on this list.
Happy Traveler
Jun 24, 2010
You want to know if you are on a list? Why? Got a guilty conscious? But if you REALLY want to know, cross the border, or better yet jump on a plane.
Michael Hampton
Jun 27, 2010
Very funny, since you work for DHS. Don’t you have someone’s rights to violate?
Happy Traveler
Jun 28, 2010
You’re onto me Mike. Yes, was planning on it (violating someone’s rights that is). In fact, it was way up high on my list of priorities, right alongside trimming my toenails, picking up the dog poop in the back yard and cleaning out the garage. My plans were ruined when I got distracted after running across an interesting little website named “Homeland Stupidity”. Having personally witnessed a fair bit of homeland stupidity, (or perhaps it was homeland schizophrenia- I cannot tell for certain) I took a little peek. Anyway, you have some interesting material here. Can’t say I agree with everything, but you do have a point.
Michael Hampton
Jun 28, 2010
I don’t promise you’ll agree with everything I say, at least not on first reading. But I do strongly encourage thoughtful discussion.
P.S. I would love to hear those stories about your coworkers and management that you alluded to. :)