Posted by Orin Kerr:
ACLU Privacy Scandal:
Have you heard about the powerful international organization that
engages in invasive, Big Brother-esque data mining; creates digital
dossiers on people in violation of their own privacy policies; does
all of this with no oversight and no judical review; and when
challenged, tries to cover-up its practices? Would you believe that
the organization is the ACLU? According to [1]The New York Times:
The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated
technology to collect a wide variety of information about its
members and donors in a fund-raising effort that has ignited a
bitter debate over its leaders' commitment to privacy rights.
. . .
Daniel S. Lowman, vice president for analytical services at
Grenzebach Glier & Associates, the data firm hired by the A.C.L.U.,
said the software the organization is using, Prospect Explorer,
combs a broad range of publicly available data to compile a file
with information like an individual's wealth, holdings in public
corporations, other assets and philanthropic interests.
. . .
Mr. [Michael] Meyers[, vice-president of the ACLU,] said he
learned on Nov. 7 that the A.C.L.U.'s data collection practices
went far beyond previous efforts. "If I give the A.C.L.U. $20, I
have not given them permission to investigate my partners, who I'm
married to, what they do, what my real estate holdings are, what my
wealth is, and who else I give my money to," he said.
The New York Attorney General is on the case:
In a Dec. 3 letter, Mr. Spitzer's office informed the A.C.L.U.
that it was conducting an inquiry into whether the group had
violated its promises to protect the privacy of donors and members.
How did the ACLU respond to scrutiny of its practices? Not
particularly well, it turns out:
[The ACLU's vice-president] objected to the practices, and the
next day, the privacy policy on the group's Web site was changed.
"They took out all the language that would show that they were
violating their own policy," he said. "In doing so, they sanctified
their procedure while still keeping it secret."
I wonder, what is this "Project Explorer" datamining surveillance
tool that the ACLU has hired the company to use? What are its powers?
Can it be abused? Has it been tested for accuracy? Why has its
existence been kept secret? Why haven't we heard about it before? Is
Admiral Poindexter behind this? John Ashcroft? J. Edgar Hoover?
Developing....
References
1.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/18/national/18aclu.html?hp&ex=1103346000&en=7887ddb4b6c05bbf&ei=5094&partner=homepage
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