http://www.boston.com/dailynews/024/wash/House_speaker_raises_doubts_ab:.sht ml
House Speaker Dennis Hastert raised doubts Friday about the fate of a Pentagon surveillance project after the Senate voted to ban the technology that mines government and commercial databases to identify potential terrorists. Hastert, R-Ill., is concerned about the privacy implications of the research program, called Total Information Awareness, Hastert spokesman Pete Jeffries said. He said it remains unclear who will fight for the project when House and Senate lawmakers meet next month to decide its future. ''Its fate is questionable,'' Jeffries said. The Pentagon was building a system that could scour government and commercial information including purchase records to detect clues of terrorism. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Don Sewell, a Pentagon spokesman, said the program ''will develop innovative information technology tools that will give the Department of Defense's intelligence, counterintelligence and counterterrorism communities important capabilities to prevent terrorist attacks.'' The project, launched after the Sept. 11 attacks, has been a public-relations disaster for the Bush administration, which has bristled at concerns by critics that it intends to snoop into the private lives of citizens. The project's future was in doubt after the Senate approved an amendment Thursday to require a detailed report by the Bush administration on the program's goals and how it would be used. The Senate amendment, sponsored by Ron Wyden, D-Ore., passed on a voice vote and was attached to a $380 billion omnibus spending bill. In a statement, Wyden echoed concerns by privacy advocates that the Pentagon's research program was ''the most far-reaching government surveillance plan in history.'' Under the legislation, the government would have to stop research and development on the program unless the Defense Department submits to Congress a detailed report within 60 days of enactment of the bill. The amendment also restricts use of the technology inside the United States without specific approval by Congress. President Bush could order the research to go forward if he determines it is necessary for national security. The amendment's limits on the program would not affect its use on foreigners. Wyden said the amendment guarantees ''there will be checks on the government's ability to snoop on law-abiding Americans.'' Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who introduced a separate bill to place a moratorium on similar ''data-mining'' research, said these surveillance systems were ''a dangerous step that threatens one of the values we are fighting for freedom.'' Privacy groups praised the surprise passage of the amendment. ''It reflects the serious concerns in Congress about being kept in the dark about an extremely invasive program,'' said David Sobel, a lawyer for the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center. The amendment must be resolved with the House version of the spending bill, which did not impose any restrictions on the research program. Lawmakers said that a conference committee, probably composed of members of appropriations panels, will meet in early to mid-February. xponent There Is Hope Maru rob ________________________________ You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
