FC: Bush administration readies nationwide informant program

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

The link:
http://www.citizencorps.gov/tips.html

---

Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2002 20:59:54 +0000
From: "J.D. Abolins" <jda-ir () njcc com>
Subject: Aussie paper: US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen
 spies

Anybody ever heard of Pavlik Morozov? (If not see 
http://www.cyberussr.com/rus/morozov.html for a quick blurb about the 
fellow.) When I see proposals to mobilize American people into being eyes 
and ears fo the government, I am reminded of Pavilik and his family.

Now I am not against people reporting certain things to the police. It is 
the habit of being constantly suspicious of neighbors, co-workers, and 
otehrs that can become destructive. Down the line it can lead to suspicions 
based not on significant clues but upon things such as "fails to display 
sufficient respect for authority", "laughs whenever the phrase 'homeland 
security' is used", and "hangs out with anti-social misfits." It is an all 
too easy slide from neighbors watching out for each and helping the 
community to becoming agents of the state.

J.D. Abolins

PS: Why is it that the most revealing news reports about the USA are coming 
nowadays form the UK, Aussie, and other non-USA media? <rhetorical>
--------------
From the Sydney Morning Herald Web site 15 July 2002
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/14/1026185141232.html

US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies
By Ritt Goldstein
July 15 2002

The Bush Administration aims to recruit millions of United States citizens 
as domestic informants in a program likely to alarm civil liberties groups.

The Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or TIPS, means the US will 
have a higher percentage of citizen informants than the former East Germany 
through the infamous Stasi secret police. The program would use a minimum 
of 4 per cent of Americans to report "suspicious activity".

Civil liberties groups have already warned that, with the passage earlier 
this year of the Patriot Act, there is potential for abusive, large-scale 
investigations of US citizens.

As with the Patriot Act, TIPS is being pursued as part of the so-called war 
against terrorism. It is a Department of Justice project.

Highlighting the scope of the surveillance network, TIPS volunteers are 
being recruited primarily from among those whose work provides access to 
homes, businesses or transport systems. Letter carriers, utility employees, 
truck drivers and train conductors are among those named as targeted recruits.

A pilot program, described on the government Web site www.citizencorps.gov, 
is scheduled to start next month in 10 cities, with 1 million informants 
participating in the first stage. Assuming the program is initiated in the 
10 largest US cities, that will be 1 million informants for a total 
population of almost 24 million, or one in 24 people.

[...]




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