Massive FBI database on suspicious Americans

[Sly]

Please note #1 and #3, in particular.

--

The FBI is assembling a massive database on thousands of Americans, many of whom have not been accused of any crime, the Washington Post's Dana Priest and William Arkin report. The reporters' latest look at the country's ballooning national security system focuses on the role that local agencies -- often staffed by people with little to no counter-terrorism training -- have played in combating terrorism since 2001.

Here are five striking revelations in their piece:

1. The FBI's Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative currently contains 161,948 suspicious activity files, into which authorities can put information they've gathered about the people at the center of the files: employment history, financial documents, phone numbers, photos. In many cases, the people in the files have not been accused of any crime but have attracted the suspicions of a local cop, FBI agent or even fellow citizen. The files have led to five arrests but no convictions, the FBI says. Some of the files are unclassified so that local police agencies and even businesses can submit reports on anyone they deem suspicious.

2. The Department of Homeland Security does not know how much it spends in funding state fusion centers, which synthesize security information from all state agencies and feeds information to the FBI's "Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative." But since 2001, DHS has doled out $31 billion to states and localities for homeland-security initiatives.

3. Local officials at these fusion centers are tasked with understanding terrorism with little or no training. To fill the void, self-styled experts with fairly extreme views on the scope of the Muslim terrorist threat are asked to come in and train local authorities, the Post reports.

Expert Walid Shoebat told a group at the first annual South Dakota Fusion Center Conference in Sioux Falls this year that they should monitor local Muslim student groups and mosques and try to tap their phones. "You can find out a lot of information that way," he said.

National intelligence officials told the Post they preferred that people with "evidence-based" approaches to Islam were lecturing instead, but that no guidelines are in place to determine the qualifications of a given speaker.

4. The localities are often left without guidance from DHS, which can lead to confusion about the counter-terror activity they're supposed to be carrying out. Virginia's fusion center named historically black colleges as a "potential" terrorism hub, Maryland State Police infiltrated local groups that lobbied for bike lanes and human rights, and a contractor in Pennsylvania writing an intelligence bulletin flagged meetings of the Tea Party Patriots Coalition and environmental activists.

5. Many states and towns are taking the unprecedented amounts of money handed out to fight terrorists and are using it instead to fight crime. "We have our own terrorists, and they are taking lives every day," Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theloo...-investigation

[Agent 488]

goddamn obama ...

[just a punk]

"The Department of Homeland Security" Am I the only here who think there is something ominous and Nazi in this name?

[amateurbfs]

Thanks for keeping me safe!

[baddog]

161k out of 300 million?

I have a policy when I go to places like Sturgis when there are 500,000 other bikers around. If I draw the attention of the law, I probably fucked up. I would say those 161k probably deserve additional attention paid to them. I will agree that the money spent seems a little excessive though.

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by baddog

161k out of 300 million?

I have a policy when I go to places like Sturgis when there are 500,000 other bikers around. If I draw the attention of the law, I probably fucked up. I would say those 161k probably deserve additional attention paid to them. I will agree that the money spent seems a little excessive though.

that's one big slippery slope. what happens if some guy down the line comes in and decides all bikers are a threat to national security

does 'his' opinion trump your constitutional rights?

[DaddyHalbucks]

This is a reaction to 9/11 ?

There weren't any Americans involved in that plot.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

that's one big slippery slope. what happens if some guy down the line comes in and decides all bikers are a threat to national security

does 'his' opinion trump your constitutional rights?

We are talking a lot more than 161k if you add all bikers . . . and I would be willing to bet there are a decent number of bikers on that list of 161k already.

[Amputate Your Head]

Originally Posted by baddog

161k out of 300 million?

I have a policy when I go to places like Sturgis when there are 500,000 other bikers around. If I draw the attention of the law, I probably fucked up. I would say those 161k probably deserve additional attention paid to them. I will agree that the money spent seems a little excessive though.

typical "they must have deserved it" response.

wait until they decide you've "deserved it".

[Sly]

Originally Posted by baddog

161k out of 300 million?

I have a policy when I go to places like Sturgis when there are 500,000 other bikers around. If I draw the attention of the law, I probably fucked up. I would say those 161k probably deserve additional attention paid to them. I will agree that the money spent seems a little excessive though.

$30B for 161k potentials and 4 failed arrests.

Sounds like a screaming success.

[Cyber Fucker]

[WarChild]

Is there a reporting number available? I have a few GFYers to add to their files ...

[just a punk]

Originally Posted by Cyber Fucker

A typical Western-Russian (Ukrainian or Belorussian) face there. I believe it's about the "Soviet occupation of the USA". Nope this didn't happen. The only big brother who's watching you is your own government.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by Sly

$30B for 161k potentials and 4 failed arrests.

Sounds like a screaming success.

Like I said, the money seems excessive, but to be fair, there is nothing in that article that says the $30b was spent solely on the investigation of those 161k people.

The Department of Homeland Security does not know how much it spends in funding state fusion centers, which synthesize security information from all state agencies and feeds information to the FBI's "Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative." But since 2001, DHS has doled out $31 billion to states and localities for homeland-security initiatives.

[MetaMan]

Originally Posted by baddog

161k out of 300 million?

I have a policy when I go to places like Sturgis when there are 500,000 other bikers around. If I draw the attention of the law, I probably fucked up. I would say those 161k probably deserve additional attention paid to them. I will agree that the money spent seems a little excessive though.

how do you figure?

the FBI probably has millions of files on people who COMMIT CRIMES.

They are holding files on innocent people who dont necessarily have committed a crime.

You would think time would be better spent investigating CRIMINALS out of the thousands if not more unsolved files in their already database.

what is the point of investigating pre crime?

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by cyberxxx

The only big brother who's watching you is your own government.

or whoever is close by with a camera phone.

[czarina]

I'm probably in that list: I make my money from home, travel abroad a lot, have properties in other countries...

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by baddog

We are talking a lot more than 161k if you add all bikers . . . and I would be willing to bet there are a decent number of bikers on that list of 161k already.

and i wouldn't be willing to bet you. it is disturbing to contemplate what sort of society we'd be if this 'relaxation of the rules' continues on the path set now.

[Phoenix]

germany did the same thing...they were able to get rid of all non homogeneous people that way...people were snitching on their neighbours and then would be shocked when one day, they just vanished.

i sure hope i get to just sit on the sidelines of this, but i suspect it is coming here as well

[CYF]

Originally Posted by MetaMan

how do you figure?

the FBI probably has millions of files on people who COMMIT CRIMES.

They are holding files on innocent people who dont necessarily have committed a crime.

You would think time would be better spent investigating CRIMINALS out of the thousands if not more unsolved files in their already database.

what is the point of investigating pre crime?

the FBI has always investigated and kept files on people that haven't committed crimes, this isn't exactly a new thing.

[TheStout]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

germany did the same thing...they were able to get rid of all non homogeneous people that way...people were snitching on their neighbours and then would be shocked when one day, they just vanished.

i sure hope i get to just sit on the sidelines of this, but i suspect it is coming here as well

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/

Great movie. Its called "The Lives of Others" and it is about the Stasi (Secret Police). It is said that 1 in every 6 people were involved with the Stasi in Germany during the time this film was based on.

Scary stuff imho

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by CYF

the FBI has always investigated and kept files on people that haven't committed crimes, this isn't exactly a new thing.

that is correct.
however these particular files can be added by almost anyone.

if the fbi decides you are a threat, they probably have good reason to keep tabs on you....no one is debating that

the issue is that the moron down your street is probably the one doing the reporting in your area...reporting what exactly?

[webairalex]

Is this Germany? In the 1940's? Does anyone know WTF is going on?

[just a punk]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

or whoever is close by with a camera phone.

Indeed .

[just a punk]

Originally Posted by czarina

I'm probably in that list: I make my money from home, travel abroad a lot, have properties in other countries...

Like almost every webmaster

[Amputate Your Head]

Originally Posted by webairalex

Is this Germany? In the 1940's? Does anyone know WTF is going on?

history always repeats itself.

welcome to the police state.

[webair]

They probably added you to the list for posting this ;)

[beerptrol]

Nothing new, the FBI has always kept files on people. It wouldn't surprise me if the head of the FBI dressed in women's clothes too

[tiger]

Originally Posted by cyberxxx

"The Department of Homeland Security" Am I the only here who think there is something ominous and Nazi in this name?

I have been thinking there was something weird about that name since they created it.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

and i wouldn't be willing to bet you.

I govern my actions with the presumption that I am already on it. Everyone should.

[TheKeyMaster]

Papers please!

[MetaMan]

Originally Posted by CYF

the FBI has always investigated and kept files on people that haven't committed crimes, this isn't exactly a new thing.

Agreed, but only 200+K? i wonder where this article makes the classification. If it really is that low i wonder.

And what is the protocol of "suspicious".

Really base wording makes me very suspicious myself on whom and how they get to interpret it.

[ottopottomouse]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

or whoever is close by with a camera phone.

Don't worry about them they will be too busy videoing someone who has just been hit by a bus and is spraying blood everywhere like a fountain.

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by baddog

I govern my actions with the presumption that I am already on it. Everyone should.

well that's just another way of saying 'do the right thing'. That's granted. My concern is are they targeting bikers due to old biases? There are a lot of messed up people in this world, and it would be upsetting to find out we're still investigating bikers dealing grass rather than mislead people with explosives.

[Kiopa_Matt]

Must suck to be brown people these days.

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by ottopottomouse

Don't worry about them they will be too busy videoing someone who has just been hit by a bus and is spraying blood everywhere like a fountain.

or miley cyrus taking a bong rip!

[GregE]

Originally Posted by cyberxxx

A typical Western-Russian (Ukrainian or Belorussian) face there. I believe it's about the "Soviet occupation of the USA". Nope this didn't happen.

That Big Brother image is clearly cobbled together from three well known sources:

a) The gloved hand pointing and the word "YOU" was copied from a famous British WWI army recruiting poster.

b) The face, from the mustache on down, is Stalin.

c) The face, from the nose on up, is Hitler.

As for the fugitive cringing in front of the poster, he looks like he was lifted straight off the pages of a 1950's era USA comic book.

The source material here is so blatantly obvious I gotta figure that it was intended to be seen as such.

Originally Posted by cyberxxx

The only big brother who's watching you is your own government.

Agreed.

[IllTestYourGirls]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

germany did the same thing...they were able to get rid of all non homogeneous people that way...people were snitching on their neighbours and then would be shocked when one day, they just vanished.

i sure hope i get to just sit on the sidelines of this, but i suspect it is coming here as well

People are already "disappearing" no one is reporting it.

[Fuseblown]

Originally Posted by Agent 488

goddamn obama ...

"But since 2001, the department has doled out $31 billion to states and localities for domestic security initiatives."

[u-Bob]

That's nothing compared to what the EU is planning. They've already stated that in order to determine that you are most likely innocent, they need to know everything about you.

[BIGTYMER]

In the name of freedom you will lose all privacy.

Welcome to Amerika. One World. One Gov.

[Amputate Your Head]

all are assumed guilty until you can prove you're not.

[u-Bob]

Amp, got icq?

[MrCain]

They are slowly turning the world into one big police state.

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by u-Bob

Amp, got icq?

you know they monitor the icq too, right?

[BIGTYMER]

[arock10]

they are behind you right now!

[Vendzilla]

Homeland security has been training an elite squad of counter terrorist soldiers at a cost of 27 millions dollars each


More money will be used to fund the illegal alien problem


and to use them to further the Obama Agenda














all the money the US spends on security, you would think the border states would have some security?

[dyna mo]

Originally Posted by arock10

they are behind you right now!

shit! my dog is one of them, that little bastard!!!1 checking his collar now for a monitoring device.

[IllTestYourGirls]

Originally Posted by BIGTYMER

Did you know the government stepped in and stopped the airing of his FEMA Camp episode? Ive never watched any of the series but now that the government stepped in and shut down an episode I might have to check it out.