[IP] more on Secret U.S. Program Tracks Global Bank Transfers
Begin forwarded message:
From: Tom Goltz <tgoltz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 23, 2006 2:18:19 PM EDT
To: h_bray@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Secret U.S. Program Tracks Global Bank
Transfers
At 11:37 AM 6/23/2006, Hiawatha Bray wrote:
Once again, a secret intelligence program during wartime has been
exposed.
Do these guys actually want us to win?
I think they do want us to win, but they also want us to still be a
free and open society.
The issue of the SWIFT transaction database goes straight to the core
of the privacy debate. Should the government have the right to
obtain our most personal information at will? If it does, who is
going to provide the oversight of the government to ensure that
access is not mis-used or abused?
The Times article raised some very important issues. It mentions
that the searchable database of the SWIFT transactions is under the
control of the government, and resides on government computers. As
far as I can tell, there are NO effective controls to prevent mis-use
of the database for investigations or even witch-hunts beyond the
scope of investigating or preventing terrorism. SWIFT's claim that
they monitor all searches and queries of the database is utter
nonsense...unless the computer that holds the database is physically
guarded 24x7 by their people, and SWIFT's people have the only
administrator privileges on the equipment housing the database, I can
think of at least a dozen different ways that the government could
make improper use of the database and SWIFT WOULD NEVER KNOW.
ANY free and open society operates at a significant disadvantage when
facing an opponent that operates clandestinely. I do not believe
that we need to or should sacrifice freedom and openness to fight
terrorism. I am MUCH more afraid of secret Star Chamber "justice" by
my own government than I am of being harmed by terrorists.
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