Pentagon system can track every auto

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Truchaos () aol com
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 11:06:54 -0400
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Pentagon system can track every auto

LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER

Pentagon system tracks every auto
Civil libertarians fear domestic use on American citizens

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Posted: July 2, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

A new Pentagon system officials say will be deployed to combat zones in
foreign lands has the capability to track every single car in urban areas,
the Associated Press reported Tuesday, leading some to worry the technology
will lead to a further erosion of privacy.

Besides tracking the vehicles, the Defense Department's system ­ dubbed
"Combat Zones That See" ­ can also analyze vehicular movement, a capability
the Pentagon says will help U.S. troops fight and protect themselves
overseas. 

At the center of the unclassified technology is an innovative computer
program that can immediately identify vehicles by size, shape, color and
license plate. It also can reportedly identify drivers and passengers by
face recognition, reports AP.

'Super weapons' 

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in charge of development of
the new surveillance system, is also helping the Defense Department develop
new military weapons and technologies for use by U.S. forces in the 21st
century. 

That research includes so-called "super weapons" ­ hypersonic armed drones
and other space-based missiles and bombs that can be employed against an
enemy in as little as two hours, all from American soil.

The London Guardian newspaper says DARPA is following a Defense Department
directive to reduce the need for U.S. forward-deployed bases in the future.
In recent years, internal political pressure from some U.S. allies, such as
Japan and South Korea, has forced the Pentagon to consider alternatives to
basing thousands of U.S. troops on foreign soil, yet still maintaining the
military ability to strike enemies far from home.

Those weapons are being developed under the code name "FALCON," or "Force
Application and Launch from the Continental U.S," said the paper. Testing
could occur as early as 2006.

Ultimately, the Pentagon wants the ability to deploy a "reusable hypersonic
cruise vehicle (HCV) ... capable of taking off from a conventional military
runway and striking targets 9,000 nautical miles distant in less than two
hours." 

The unmanned strike weapon could weigh up to 12,000 pounds and travel at
speeds 10 times the speed of sound.

The U.S. will deploy short-range, disposable missiles and weapons that can
be launched into space, then directed against a target, on a regional basis,
according to the Guardian. The "super weapons" will have global reach, says
DARPA. 

In the meantime, public and government privacy advocates worry the
Pentagon's new system could be used to spy on American drivers in American
cities. Already some experts complain the U.S. and other countries rely too
much on surveillance technology, and similar technology has been used at the
Super Bowl, to screen for possible terrorists.

"Privacy has been called 'the civil rights issue of the information age,'"
said an analysis from Minnesota Public Radio. "Americans enjoy unlimited
benefits from new technologies in a wired world. But those wires send
information in two directions, and the access to our personal data has never
been more open for abuse."

Says the American Civil Liberties Union, "Big Brother is no longer a
fiction." 

"Many people still do not grasp that Big Brother surveillance is no longer
the stuff of books and movies," says Barry Steinhardt, director of the
ACLU¹s Technology and Liberty Program. "Given the capabilities of today¹s
technology, the only thing protecting us from a full-fledged surveillance
society are the legal and political institutions we have inherited as
Americans." 

"Cell phones that pinpoint your location. Cameras that track your every
move. Subway cards that remember. We routinely sacrifice privacy for
convenience and security. So stop worrying. And get ready for your
close-up," said an analysis in Wired Magazine.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33371


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