Interesting lead article in The New Yorker, wishing Philip K. Dick was still around so that we could get his take on the Information Awareness Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, headed by Director John M. Poindexter.
"It's easy to ridicule this -- fun, too, and fun is something the war on terrorism doesn't offer a lot of -- but it's not so easy to dismiss the possibility that the project, nutty as it sounds, might actually be of significant help in uncovering terrorist networks. The problem is that it would also be of significant help in uncovering just about everything, including the last vestiges of individual and family privacy." "... If a working system ever does get up and running, you won't have to be Philip K. Dick to imagine the possibilities for mischief, especially if carelessness, to say nothing of malevolence, enters the picture. But not to worry. 'The privacy of individuals not affiliated with terrorism' will be protected via 'technologies for controlling automated search and exploitation algorithms and for purging data structures appropriately.' "And who is offering this highly reassuring assurance? Why, the Director..." The article has a bit of Poindexter's background, including his convictions in the arms deals for the Nicaraguan guerrillas, overturned on appeal because his own congressional testimony, under immunity, tainted his trial. "The facts of the case, however, stand. So does the conclusion of the trial judge, Harold H. Greene, that Poindexter's actions traduced the principle 'that those elected by and responsible to the people shall make teh important policy decisions, and that their decisions may not be nullified by appointed officials who happen to be in positions that give them the ability to operate programs prohibited by law.' "But even when intentions are good, as conservatives should know, it's not enough... Maybe the Administration needs to catch up on its sci-fi reading. Philip K. meant his dark visions as warnings, not as bureaucratic charters for George W. Unfortunately, Bush doesn't know Dick." Hmm. Maybe some other science fiction authors/futurists have some thoughts on this. -- Nick Arnett Phone/fax: (408) 904-7198 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
