IP: Web Sites Pull Intelligence Data

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2001 18:26:42 -0400
> To: farber () cis upenn edu (David Farber)
> From: Richard Jay Solomon <rsolomon () dsl cis upenn edu
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Attacks-Net-Censorship.html
>
> > October 3, 2001
> > Web Sites Pull Intelligence Data
> > By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
> >
> > Filed at 4:38 p.m. ET
> >
> >
> >
> > NEW YORK (AP) -- Before Sept. 11, you could have visited the Federation 
> > of American Scientists' Web site for diagrams and photos of U.S. 
> > intelligence facilities. You could have gone to another Web site and 
> > learned of gatherings at North Dakota's Minot Air Force Base. And you 
> > could have gone online and ordered maps of military installations.
> >
> > No longer.
> >
> > Concerned they could be aiding terrorists, some government and private 
> > Web sites have decided to stop sharing quite so much potentially 
> > sensitive data.
> >
> > Such self-censorship would not prevent terrorists from turning to 
> > libraries or even other Web sites for information that could be useful in 
> > attacks.
> >
> > ``But that is not a justification for publishing it in easily accessible 
> > ways. Let them work for it,'' said Steven Aftergood, senior research 
> > analyst at the scientists' group.
> >
> > The private organization removed from the Web its research containing 
> > locations, building layouts and aerial images of intelligence offices, 
> > some unacknowledged by the U.S. government. Also removed were details on 
> > nuclear sites abroad.
> >
> > Minot removed clues about where personnel may be gathering, including 
> > schedules of activities and locations of military housing units.
> >
> > The National Imagery and Mapping Agency suspended online and offline 
> > sales of maps of military installations as well as its highest-resolution 
> > maps of other U.S. locations.
> >
> > The U.S. Office of Pipeline Safety now restricts its mapping software and 
> > pipeline data to industry and government officials, while the 
> > Environmental Protection Agency removed information on chemical plants 
> > and their emergency response plans.
> >
> > ``People have a right to know what kinds of risks there are, but 
> > unfortunately terrorists are people, too,'' said Jim Makris, the EPA's 
> > emergency coordinator.
> >
> > The reports are still available in EPA reading rooms, but Makris said 
> > identification is required.
> >
> > Jeremiah Baumann of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a private 
> > watchdog organization, criticized the EPA's decision and said the data 
> > ``would not be very useful to terrorists.''

<snip>



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