Though many citizens currently quiver in fear at the crime-fighting technology displayed on shows like CSI, the government really isn’t as technologically advanced as many think; in fact, for a very long time, police forces and intelligence agencies were forced to rely on their own information databases to catch criminals and terrorists. However, it seems that the U.S. government is taking a step towards tightening the noose around criminals — and potential criminals — with a new national information-sharing system.

The new system was developed by Raytheon for a frugal $85 million, according to the Washington Post. Raytheon is the fifth largest defense contractor to the United States, specializing in missiles and aircraft of the militant sort.

The program intends to unite all of the police and intelligence “nodes” currently working on their own or on a limited basis with other “nodes;” though many law-enforcement and intelligence agencies have compiled data, by sharing data the government hopes to more effectively fight crime and prevent terrorism.

No such system has been integrated as of yet because decades ago, Congress found law enforcement agencies to be compiling files and monitoring hapless citizens with no record of criminal activity; at that point, strict barriers were established intended to prevent the government from invasively monitoring citizens’ activities and lives.

Of course, all of that shot right out the window with the Patriot Act; after 9/11, the government has only worked harder to invade the lives of citizens in every way possible; telephones, email, internet traffic are monitored consistently. No doubt, in the interest of preventing “terrorism,” every local agency will be able to find out what kind of coffee you drink, when you sleep and whether you read the Post or the Times with your Captain Crunch.

Perhaps an aspect not being considered regarding the implementation of a national intelligence database is that talented hackers will only have more information to manipulate and acquire with fewer keystrokes. Assuredly, the government will have plenty of “fail-safes” in place to fend off such attacks, but by unifying a mass of sensitive information, that information is all the more accessible by both authorities and the people the authorities intend to to catch with the database.

Technology is a double-edged sword.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 4:29 am under Crime, Internet, Legal, Opinion, Science and technology, Security.

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