In case you don't know, DARPA stands for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It was established by the Department of Defense in response to the Soviet Sputnik launch and is charged with keeping U.S. technology ahead of our enemies. Among other projects, DARPA is currently developing a $200 million (annually) computer system to survey information on a global level. The DARPA computer, developed by John Poindexter and operated under the Information Awareness Office, will sift through government and commercial databases around the world to find trends and patterns that might help locate terrorists, prevent espionage and strengthen law enforcement.

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Regardless, it seems that in this age we're going to have to confront technological advancements sooner than later. Now, I'm not going to argue that DARPA's new computer system, once complete and without safeguards, couldn't be abused. However, the proper response to new technological development, even those pursued by the government, is not just to read a Times op/ed, add the word "Darth" before every Bushie's last name, and scream "stop!" The technology is here. It's up to us to develop a code for its use that protects our liberty, too.

The fundamental problem with the civil libertarian knee-jerk aversion to technological advancements is that we've already had similar technologies in place for decades and we've yet to become some dictatorial empire with a meaningless legislature. We're not even close, no matter what the guy obsessed with the Council on Foreign Relations tells you.

An opinion piece from someone who is a little more optimistic about the 'safeguards' being enough to keep this new data collection from being abused. While I do think we have to worry about abuse I am just as worried about stupidity. All this data collection will try and identify the 'bad guys' based on profiles. Basically they will use the same profiling concepts that the marketing folks use now. The main difference is that if the marketeers are sure that I am both a republican and a democrat, a man and a women, a homeowner and a renter, for abortion as well as against it, the worst that happens is that I get a piece of junk mail (or a phone call) that I can throw away. All I have lost is a little time. With this new system someone might be declared a suspect without even knowing they are on a watch list. This will cause many an innocent person to fail various security checks at airports and other locations, possibly even keeping them from getting that job they are qualified for, but will not provide them a method to correct the mistakes since they probably won't be told the real reason for their rejection. After all, telling them how they got on the 'bad guys' list would 'Help the terrorists'.

5:07:16 PM    

Miasma

Mobile blogging: A superb essay from Justin Hall on how blogging (and informal reporting) combined with wireless networks (cell and LAN) are changing culture. He relies in part on Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs thesis, but pulls together many threads from the realms of blogging, journalism, and technology.

4:29:33 PM