Life as Data Points on an Algorithm

So many things to profile, so little time.

First, a catch from Avedon:

U.S. citizens to be required ''clearance'' to leave the United States

We've seen a long list of threats to our privacy and human rights recently. We think it all went downhill on October 17th. But this is just the latest move to become a 'secure' Totalitarian state.

If the U.S. government (a.k.a Bush Administration) gets its way, beginning on Jan. 14, 2007, we'll all be on no-fly lists, unless the government gives us permission to leave-or re-enter-the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSA) has proposed that all airlines and cruise lines be required to obtain clearance for each passenger they propose taking into or out of the United States.

"This proposed rule implements the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requirement that such information be provided to the government before departure of the aircraft. This proposed rule provides air carriers a choice between transmitting complete manifests no later than 60-minutes prior to departure of the aircraft or transmitting manifest information on passengers as each passenger checks in for the flight, up to but no later than 15 minutes prior to departure."

Entire official federal document USCBP-2005-0003-0005

...Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are two countries in recent history that didn't allow their citizens to travel abroad without permission.

Next, this from DefenseTech:

Do you know your official terrorism score? U.S. Customs agents will with a new database system that uses algorithms to figure out which international travellers warrant closer search.

The system, announced in the Federal Register today, is called the Automated Targeting System, which will use the Treasury's watchlist, data provided to it by the airlines, your I-94 form and other data sources to compute your terrorism risk when you cross the border...

The data -- which includes all the information you give to an airline such as medical conditions, frequent flier number, special meal requests, home and email addresses, payment information and your travel agent's names -- will be held for up to 40 years. The data can be shared with any government agency or local law enforcement agency for civil or criminal matters, and can even be shared with foreign governments as data to test other data-mining programs, even ones not related to border security.

What happens if you have a name that's similar to a suspected terrorist or drug smuggler? Conceivably, you could have your car torn apart every time you drive to Canada or have a blue-gloved agent checking your anus for dope every time you go to Cancun.

But surely, you'll be able to remedy such mistakes using the Privacy Act, which prevents secret databases? Actually, no.

Finally, Xenophon makes another catch. Meet Tangram:

The new U.S. intelligence czar is developing a computer system capable of data-mining huge amounts of information about everyday events to discern patterns that look like terrorist planning. The Tangram document, a technical guide for contractors, says that researchers have already “developed novel algorithms and methods for linking entities and activities using a guilt-by-association model” also known as link analysis.

And of course, since all of these sophisticated algorithms are abosolutely objective in profiling terra'ists, they would never be abused for political gain. Or financial gain by an unscrupulous corporation or private contractor managing the system for the government. Of course not, not here in America.