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16 to 25? Pentagon Has Your Number, and More
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2005 06:43:38 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com> Date: June 25, 2005 2:30:28 AM EDT To: undisclosed-recipient:; Subject: 16 to 25? Pentagon Has Your Number, and More 16 to 25? Pentagon Has Your Number, and More By DAMIEN CAVE June 24, 2005 The Defense Department and a private contractor have been building an extensive database of 30 million 16-to-25-year-olds, combining names with Social Security numbers, grade-point averages, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. The department began building the database three years ago, but military officials filed a notice announcing plans for it only last month. That is apparently a violation of the federal Privacy Act, which requires that government agencies accept public comment before new records systems are created. David S. C. Chu, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, acknowledged yesterday that the database had been in the works since 2002. Pentagon officials said they discovered in May 2004 that no Privacy Act notice had been filed. The filing last month was an effort to correct that, officials said. Mr. Chu said the database was just a tool to send out general material from the Pentagon to those most likely to enlist. "Congress wants to ensure the success of the volunteer force," he said at a reporters' roundtable in Washington. "Congress does not want conscription, the country does not want conscription. If we don't want conscription, you have to give the Department of Defense, the military services, an avenue to contact young people to tell them what is being offered. It would be naï¿1Ž2ve to believe that in any enterprise, that you are going to do well just by waiting for people to call you." On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the notification in The Federal Register had drawn criticism from a coalition of eight privacy groups that filed a brief opposing the database's creation. Yesterday, many of those privacy advocates, learning that the database had been under development for three years, called its existence an egregious violation of the Privacy Act's rules and intent. ...http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/politics/24recruit.html? ex=1277265600&en=10803fe5d6f59fe1&ei=5090
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- 16 to 25? Pentagon Has Your Number, and More David Farber (Jun 26)