$500M terror watch list program on verge of collapse

[babylonsister]

How pathetic. Another program turns to shit under the dim one.


Flaws Found In Watch List For Terrorists
By SIOBHAN GORMAN
August 22, 2008; Page A3


The government's main terrorist-watch-list system is hobbled by technology challenges, and the $500 million program designed to upgrade it is on the verge of collapse, according to a preliminary congressional investigation.

The database, which includes an estimated 400,000 people and as many as 1 million names, has been criticized for flagging ordinary Americans. Now, the congressional report finds that the system has problems identifying true potential terrorists, as well.

Among the flaws in the database, which was quickly built by Lockheed Martin Corp. in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is its inability to do key-word searches. Instead, an analyst needs to rely on an indexing system to query the database, according to congressional investigators who learned of the issues from a whistleblower. Lockheed spokesman Tom Jurkowsky said he could not comment on a report he had not read.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of "potentially vital" messages from the Central Intelligence Agency have not been included in the database, known as the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE, congressional investigators found.

more...

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121937117186362585.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_leftbox

[mmonk]

1. Screw the lists. Only an intellectual idiot believes

that 1 million Americans are a threat to this nation.

[babylonsister]

4. Easy to say unless you're prevented from traveling because you're

on that list to begin with.

[DCKit]

6. "intellectual"... you are kidding. n/t

[billyoc]

2. Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE-y bowl.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. There is one way they can ensure all terrorists end up on the list.

Put everyone in the world on the list at birth.

[LiberalFighter]

5. They had Lockheed Martin build the database?

Are they even remotely qualified to do this type of work?

[kenny blankenship]

7. Maybe it needs a bailout from the Federal Reserve?

Here's something else they could try: put everyone on the list. Instead of wasting resources trying to figure out who belongs on the list, force everyone to expend their own resources trying to get off of it. The burden of proof and the cost of documenting evidence falls on the individual. They could call it "personal responsibility" or something like that. Americans love that shit.

[babylonsister]

8. That's a terrible idea! Whatever happened to innocent til proven

otherwise?

[SpiralHawk]

9. "They are doin a heckuva job. Smirk." - Commander AWOL