Washblog || Who Is Watching You?

Who Is Watching You?

By Andrew Tsao
Wed Feb 22, 2006 at 09:06:03 AM PST
Section: Diary Topic: General news/info

Seattle area peace groups are being monitored by "unnamed" law enforcement agencies.

Today's (2.22.06) Post Intelligencer headline covers the surveillance of peaceful activist groups here in the Seattle area. These groups include the Raging Grannies and the Quakers, known for their pledge of non-violence.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the article: if you read it carefully, there is one reference to the Pentagon's "Counterintelligence Field Office," and numerous references to "certain federal and local law enforcement agencies." The Penatagon did not return the PI's calls. Who are these anonymous federal and local law enforcement agencies?

Apparently, "unnamed" law enforcement agencies are working with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to gather information and perform surveillance on local peace groups.

We would like to know: who are these "agencies"? The FBI actually responded to questions from the PI, citing that they counseled against disturbing peaceful activism. However, the article cites:

"A law enforcement agency"
"An unknown local police agency"
The FBI's "domestic terrorism squad."
"...various federal and local agencies..."
And FBI report: "Yesterday (REDACTED) conducted surveillance at the boat launch on Alki Beach."

If you put together the chain of counterintellligence, you can see that the Pentagon's secret intelligence agency shares some, but not all of its informatiom with the FBI. "Local and federal" enforcement agencies send memos to the Pentagon's unit.

However, there is a missing link in the chain: who is supplying the information to the Penatgon and the FBI? The Navy has its own counterintelligence wing that investigates potential violations of Naval law. This has to do with protecting their vessels in Puget Sound. But they clearly are getting help. The Seattle Post Intelligencer should follow up and find out exactly who is doing the watching, and what their legal parameters are.

Connect this alarming situation with the Bush administrations adamant desire to sell six U.S. ports to the United Arab Emirates. What conclusions can we draw?

We now have secret police among us, preparing memos for the Pentagon on groups who are advocating peace.

We have a President who is threatening to veto legislation preventing sale of U.S. ports to a country that has ties to terrorist organizations.

Study the situation in your own locality, and make your own decisions. Paranoia? Maybe. Maybe not.

< Photos! Dina & Dean at WA Crabfest. Where's Cantwell? | Feedback to Gov: Pro-Fair Share - Few, Anti - Many >

Who Is Watching You? | 2 comments (2 topical)

Constant Surveillance

Of course the government is watching us. They've been doing it for a while now. None of us have any privacy, in the common venacular. I've long assumed that everything I do is being monitored. It's not paranoia. Just a statement of fact.

It's wrong. It's wasteful. But I don't think it'll ever change. Surveillance technology is ubiquitous and cheap. There's no way to stuff that genie back into the bottle.

The only idea I've heard that seems workable is recipical observation. David Brin explores this idea in the book "Transparent Society". It's a recurring theme.

The old school comic book (nee graphic novel) "The Watchmen" asked the question "Who's watching the watchers?" Right now, no one. David Brin's answer is that everyone should be watching everybody.

I'm currently thinking of "privacy" as being something kind of like information flowing through markets. Well designed, efficient, open markets rely on trust, contract law, and (most importantly) symmetrical information. Meaning all parties in a transaction have roughly the same information.

So what I want to see is a similar framework for our personal information. The current asymmetrical system is unacceptable. I want to know who knows what about me. I want to know who accesses information about me (like a transaction log). And I want there to be an even playing field. Meaning, whatever you know about me, I can know about you.

Imagine politics in a world of complete transparency.

And before people go nuts on me about "privacy", I ask two things:

What is privacy?
Did we ever have privacy?

Our ancestral environment was small groups of hominids scratching out a living. Every one knew everything about every one. There were no secrets. And our brains still retain that hard-wiring for social accounting, punishing cheaters, and reciprocal altruism. In other words, we're hard-wired to get along within a community. Robert Wright explores this idea in "Nonzero", a fantastic read.

The biggest problem we have as a modern society lacking community is that there's no way to punish cheaters (e.g. bribes, corruption, lying, etc.). All that would change if cheaters couldn't simply move on to the next mark. If a person, regardless of wealth and prestige, couldn't hide DUI convictions or going AWOL. (Just two examples which popped into my head. haha)

So I say again, imagine politics in a world of complete transparency.

by zappini on Wed Feb 22, 2006 at 10:46:49 AM PST

* 1 5.00 1 *

Except.... by noemie maxwell, 02/23/2006 08:50:29 AM PST (none / 0)

Who Is Watching You? | 2 comments (2 topical)

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