more on Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing/

[David Farber <farber () tmail com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: grimes () altaplana com
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
CC: slabaton () nytimes com, Seth Grimes <grimes () altaplana com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 06:07:09 -0800 (PST)

Dave,

        For IP if you wish --

        I attended a program on last week put on by the Congressional
Forum on Technology & Innovation (http://www.tech-forum.org/), 
sponsored
by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).  Richard Perle was a panelist; the subject 
was
Data Mining: A Critical Tool in the War Against Terrorism or a High 
Tech
Invasion of Privacy?

        Mr. Perle disclosed that he is a director of Autonomy, a data
mining company.  See http://autonomy.com/Content/Autonomy/Management.  
He
remarked (paraphrasing from memory) "I suppose I should tell you all 
that
I sit on the board of a data-mining company called Autonomy although I
don't know if they compete" with Clearforest, another data-mining 
vendor,
which had a representative on the panel.

        According to Autonomy's Web site, their customers include the US
Depts. of Commerce, Defense, and State.  Getting and keeping customers
like these is of course one reason a company engages someone like Mr.
Perle.

        By the way, most of the talk at the program was on implementing
data-mining technologies in Total Information Awareness, CAPPS-II and
similar programs.  I asked the panelists whether they don't have any
questions whether the technology can do what it's supposed to do, 
whether
these programs don't have a large component of "we have to do
SOMETHING."  This got twice as much discussion time from panelists as 
any
other question and I'm happy to say led to follow-ups.

        Best,

                                                Seth


On Fri, 21 Mar 2003, Dave Farber wrote:

>  ------ Forwarded Message
>  From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
>  Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 08:19:06 -0500
>  To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
>  Subject: Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing
>
>
>  More on the questionable commercial doings of Richard Perle.......rf
>
>
>  March 21, 2003
>  Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing
>  By STEPHEN LABATON
>
>
>  WASHINGTON, March 20 ‹ Even as he advises the Pentagon on war 
> matters,
>  Richard N. Perle, chairman of the influential Defense Policy Board, 
> has been
>  retained by the telecommunications company Global Crossing to help 
> overcome
>  Defense Department resistance to its proposed sale to a foreign firm, 
> Mr.
>  Perle and lawyers involved in the case said today.
>
>  < snip >
>
>  Mr. Perle and his lawyers were preparing to file an affidavit dated 
> March 7
>  and a legal notice dated today, March 20, that said he was uniquely
>  qualified to advise the company on the matter because of his job as 
> head of
>  the Defense Policy Board.
>
>  But after a reporter raised questions today about whether Mr. Perle 
> was
>  using his job at the Defense Policy Board for the benefit of a client, 
> they
>  said the references to his job should not have been in the legal 
> papers and
>  would be deleted before they were filed in the bankruptcy proceeding.
>
>  In the March 7 affidavit, Mr. Perle said, "As the chairman of the 
> Defense
>  Policy Board, I have a unique perspective on and intimate knowledge of 
> the
>  national defense and security issues that will be raised by the CFIUS 
> review
>  process that is not and could not be available to the other CFIUS
>  professionals." The company used similar language in its legal 
> notice.
>
>  < snip >
>
>
>  http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/21/business/21GLOB.html?pagewanted=print&posi
>  tion=top

--
Seth Grimes   Alta Plana Corp, analytical computing & data management
              Intelligent Enterprise magazine, Contributing Editor
grimes () altaplana com       http://altaplana.com    301-873-8225
-- Dave

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