NSA/Russert Show Thread #2

[lala_rawraw]

Thread #2 to this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x520607

[bleever]

1. Data mining into the bloodstream of the telecommunications industry.

Says Risen.

[lala_rawraw]

3. He is saying one example is Echelon

sorry about spelling... but that is my sense, if you remember what I was told to look for... what he is saying is Echelon "used to be" meaning something has replaced it, no?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. "has been used over seas for years"

implied is now being used domestically

[bleever]

18. Echelon and Total Information Awareness now exist, IIRC,

in the Bahamas(?) where it's been outsourced but continued virtually without interruption.

Someone on DU (maybe EVDebs?) knows and posts about it a lot.

[Joanne98]

168. Have you heard of Matrix?

It's in the book, "No Place Left To Hide". chapter four.....

[EVDebs]

164. ChoicePoint's info will go to Bahamas, under Global Information Group's

contracts and phone lines; from there the ability to surreptitiously terrorize US citizens from a secure, offshore, and privatized system emerges.

Total Surveillance
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2005/12/albrecht.html ...

Couple this insidious technology with purposely erroneous background checks

Who is checking the background checkers?
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1128/p13s02-wmgn.html

They've offshored, outsourced, and privatized TIA to the Bahamas, under Global Information Group, Ltd, run by Ben H. Bell, IIIrd.

Now all they have to do is fire you for being 'of the wrong political party' and put false information in your background data...and voila ! You've just created the most insidious terror project in the US ever.

Problem is that the information is often compromised that ChoicePoint itself uses:
""But Alan Paller, director of research at the Bethesda, Md.-based SANS Institute, said the California law is probably necessary because of the kinds of crime that are occurring. A group in Russia and Ukraine has been acquiring customer data, extorting money to prevent its release and then selling it anyway. Paller believes some companies are paying off the extortionists in an attempt to contain the damage.""
http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/privacy/story/0,10801,76721,00.html

So it seems that corrupted information from offshore is being used to allow for a corrupted legal system's abuse of said information in order to abuse US citizen's who are exercising their lawful right to dissent during eternal 'wartime', if I get this scenario correctly.

Vegans from Georgia and Quakers from Florida, and students in California along with Ragin' Grannies and CodePink ladies, who protest on-campus military recruiting seem to be the latest targets. The Rex84 detainment camps (Bush's 'new programs' mentioned in recent truthout articles) show that the old Ollie North 'suspend the Constitution' in order to round up dissenters is still alive and well:

""Plus, there was that curious development in January when the Army Corps of Engineers awarded Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root a $385 million contract to construct detention centers somewhere in the United States, to deal with “an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs,” KBR said. ...Less attention centered on the phrase “rapid development of new programs” and what kind of programs would require a major expansion of detention centers, each capable of holding 5,000 people. Jamie Zuieback, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, declined to elaborate on what these “new programs” might be.

Only a few independent journalists, such as Peter Dale Scott and Maureen Farrell, have pursued what the Bush administration might actually be thinking.

Scott speculated that the “detention centers could be used to detain American citizens if the Bush administration were to declare martial law.” He recalled that during the Reagan administration, National Security Council aide Oliver North organized Rex-84 “readiness exercise,” which contemplated the Federal Emergency Management Agency rounding up and detaining 400,000 “refugees,” in the event of “uncontrolled population movements” over the Mexican border into the United States. ""

from Bush's Mysterious 'New Programs'
By Nat Parry
February 21, 2006

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/022106a.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. describing Echelon...

keyword searches

[bleever]

4. "Echelon". Time to lay it all out, including the outsourcing of T.I.A.

And the "Big Brother" frame is priceless.

[annabanana]

5. Ha! Did Matalin get caught up for using the word

"jihad" about Gregory...

[lala_rawraw]

7. Security Industrial Complex

is the new warning O'Harrow is saying

[annabanana]

8. as a new "unchecked power"

[im10ashus]

9. From the last chapter in O'Harrows book "No Place To Hide"

Richard Smith opened the door of the Starbucks near the corner of Amsterdam and 70th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He stepped up to where other customers were ordering their coffee concoctions and pointed to the wall behind the clerk's head. Hanging there was a black cube. It was smaller than a wallet and connected to a narrow cable. Smith smiled knowingly. It was a surveillance camera.

He turned toward a set of tables and upholstered chairs, where young, caffeinated folks typed away at laptop computers or talked on their mobile phones. Some of them were connected to the Internet through a wireless network known as WiFi. Starbucks offers the service as a convenience to attract the digerati who like to get wired while working. It happens also to be an extremely efficient data collection mechanism, forever noting the presence of computers and the times and places of contacts.

Smith walked back out to the street, looked around, and headed toward a subway station. As in many cities, the public transit system in New York no longer allows people to use tokens. To boost efficiency, turnstiles now rely on small cards with magnetic strips. These strips enable straphangers to cut the time it takes to ride by paying for many trips at one time, with a credit card if they choose. All they have to do is swipe the MetroCard to get in. Those cards also record travel activity. As he examined the vending machines, he noticed something else: security cameras behind a one-way mirror.

Over and over, Smith found that someone or something was looking at people electronically, sweeping up information, sending it across digital networks. He went to a Kinko's store and paused at a device that enabled customers to use a credit card to make copies. He stopped in a small deli and found an ATM. There was a "hand reader" at a grocery store that clocked employees in. They're all sensors that record identities and the times and places of transactions.

http://www.noplacetohide.net/chapter.html

[bleever]

11. Thanks. nt

[EVDebs]

166. Funny how RFIDs weren't used to surveill OBL while getting his dialysis

treatments in July 2001 in UAE's Dubai, huh ? They sure can track US here in the states, though.

[Wheezy]

10. Echelon --

could the definition of the word be important?

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=echelon

[AntiFascist]

12. I just saw this thread, haven't read all the posts....

but Choicepoint rang a bell:

From an email I received middle of last year:

"I read in the Moscow times that Greg Palast has confirmed that Jeb Bush contracted the Department of Agriculture, and ChoicePoint as well as Accenture to purge thousands and thousands of voters."

On edit: Here's the link to the Moscow Times article, for what its worth:

http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/04/08/120.html

[lala_rawraw]

13. So far we have Axium and

Choicepoint (although not yet mentioned)

[hootinholler]

32. Which axium?

There's a financial software company and a surveilance company. Probably the latter but when did they change the name? I guess World Wide Eyes wasn't cloaked enough :P

The site states they have a new Chairman: James W. Power. A So. Korean R&D center and a new big liscense deal with Traptec Corporation.

-Hoot

[lala_rawraw]

57. Don't know... I was only told Choicepoint

[Bluestar]

104. Acxiom not Axium--out of Arkansas

They have been in the business of data gathering for years. All big companies use them for marketing purposes. Now they are in the business of selling their information to Homeland Security.

Link to their website.

http://www.acxiom.com/

[RazzleDazzle]

155. OMG. That's the firm Wes Clark lobbied for /

was employed by.

And some folks here wonder why other folks here didn't approve of Clark's candidacy for President.

[EVDebs]

172. Aren't these 'phone lines' secured ? Is AllTel out of Little Rock

involved, too ? They already were fined for not certifying that data was being protected. Convenient, if spying was being done.

"The FCC yesterday proposed fining Alltel as well as the new AT&T $100,000 each for violating privacy certification. The carriers were not caught exposing or releasing customers' records. Instead the companies are being fined because they failed to provide accurate certification that they have protected their customers data. If the carriers can prove they have met the certification requirements, they will not be fined. Other carriers whose records clearly have been obtained by investigative agencies have not been fined by the FCC for certification. The four largest carriers, each of which have had records leak, are bringing new suits against the agencies that have obtained their customers' records illegally""

FCC Fines Alltel For Lack of Privacy Certification
http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=1565

I find the information "...each of which have had records leak..." particularly informative.

[Nostradammit]

224. Yep. The general was in Cheney's office

pitching him on how to keep an eye on American citizens.

Quite a guy, that general.

[Nostradammit]

223. They need a new graphic designer

seriously.

[bleever]

14. Ding! Choicepoint was involved with the felon lists and caging in FL,

if I'm remembering correctly.

[lala_rawraw]

15. Yes, check first thread...

[AntiFascist]

40. There's supposedly a contract with the Dept. of Agriculture...

this would prove ties to the Admin, or something like that, if it can be found.

[EVDebs]

167. Hmmm. Search under 'futures markets total information awareness'

and see what comes up

""Futures Markets Applied to Prediction, or FutureMAP, intends to "concentrate on market-based techniques for avoiding surprise and predicting future events." It will analyze data from the world's economy in attempt to predict political instability, threats to national security, and in general every major event in the near future. The IAO's stated strategy for this division includes "the markets must also be sufficiently robust to withstand manipulation," possibly suggesting the intention of altering future events to further the goals of the United States. See prediction market for more detail on the general phenomenon and its relationship to propaganda efforts. ""

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Total_Information_Awareness#Gov.27t_Quietly_Brings_Back_Total_Information_Awareness

Maybe this is what you're looking for ? Also see EPIC's list of approved TIA contractors
http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/contractors_table.html

(assume this is an incomplete list, btw)

Plus, see my post #164 re Global Information Group, Ltd., in the Bahamas. Undoubtedly TIA uses this CAPPS II program as a linkup to the datamining/ChoicePoint et al lists.

All this 'outsourcing' of national security related information, especially involving US citizens information to foreigners, as with Ptech in the PRE-9/11 world, beg certain questions. Ptech was allowed FAA and NAS--National Airspace Systems Agency-- computer access:

FBI shut down investigation into Saudi terror cell in Boston
http://www.madcowprod.com/mc4512004.html

Are we about to do same under Dubai Ports World AND via the supposedly non-existent TIA, now offshored and privatized ? Looks like it.

[AntiFascist]

217. I'm trying to understand the connections of the Dept. of Agriculture...

and cencus data since some of the people I previously blogged with were so obsessed with it. Is there something obvious that I'm missing? There's also mention of "Jeb Bush's alliance of false men and the Florida Dept. of Agriculture."

One thing that comes to mind is that there are tens of millions of illegal aliens in the U.S. Many, in California at least, are employed in agriculture. If, somehow, false identities are created this could explain one aspect of vote fraud. Also, the need to purge illegal aliens from voter rolls might explain another aspect.

[EVDebs]

227. Huge sums of $ withheld from Dept Ag payrolls into SS

Those illegals have huge sums sitting at Treasury from withheld Social Security etc withholdings that they cannot legally access (they're illegal immigrants) The duplicate SS#s would indicate this; also Dept of Ag operates EX-IM bank remember with Saddam Hussein's illegally being funded through the BNL scandal out of Atlanta GA some yrs back.

Read

""The loans to Iraq were split just about evenly between agricultural and industrial loans. Iraq used a little over $2 billion to purchase agricultural products and to pay for the shipping charges associated with the delivery of those products. Well over $800 million of agriculture-related loans were guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation. ""

KISSINGER ASSOCIATES, SCOWCROFT, EAGLEBURGER, STOGA, IRAQ, AND BNL
Henry B. Gonzalez, (TX-20)
(House of Representatives - April 28, 1992)
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/1992_cr/h920428g.htm

Also investigate the book Spider's Web by Alan Friedman
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/07/0312256

for more on the Dept of Ag's role in this scandal

[lala_rawraw]

16. Did he just say millions of people may have been

spied on?

[im10ashus]

19. Potentially millions.

Staggering.

[im10ashus]

17. "A new level of surveillance possibilites."

Just when you thought they couldn't get any more involved in our lives.

[lala_rawraw]

20. Okay... trying to keep in mind what I am supposed to

be looking for (in post #1)

[lala_rawraw]

21. They started this program when Patriot Act started

Says Risen

[bleever]

24. We have DU reports about it starting pre- 9/11.

[robertpaulsen]

197. Here they are, if anyone's interested.

READ!! -- NSA doc proves "Bush Authorized Domestic Spying BEFORE 9/11"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=346899

[H2O Man]

212. Thanks, RP. n/t

[Joanne98]

171. Is this what your looking for?

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/noplacetohide/asher.html
Hank Asher

Hank Asher has been a leading figure in the data industry since the early 1990s. After 9/11, he invented a data-searching product called "Matrix," which gives investigators nearly instant access to a rich dossier on virtually any adult in America. Matrix earned Asher a 2003 meeting at the White House with Vice President Cheney, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Asher founded Database Technologies (DBT) in 1992. After selling that company, he launched a new company, Seisint, in 1998.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert O'Harrow: So, what happened? Where were you on September 11th, 2001?

Hank Asher: I happened to be in my office. I was mostly fishing. I enjoy sport fishing. I enjoy going out. We go out for a week and we might not see a boat for a whole week. We go to very remote areas that are not traveled by tourists, or the fishing tournaments, or anything like that. We go out to relax, to see God's world in its untouched way, and it greatly relaxes me.

O'Harrow: So you'd been doing a lot of that, but that particular day, you happened to be at your office.

Asher: I was. And a guy called me on the phone and said, "You won't believe what happened." So I turned on my TV, and about 40 people came into my office and we all stood there and watched the second plane crash into the building. I instructed every salesperson and every employee in the company to start calling law enforcement, and telling them that they had unlimited, free access to Accurint to investigate what was going on.

We went to work doing that. We continued, then, all of September 12 and all of September 13. September 13 was a Thursday, and I was standing six feet behind you at that countertop right there doing the same thing that most Americans were doing: I was drinking. I had a martini in a glass that really was probably 6.25 martinis, and I drank it. And I was standing next to a good friend of mine for over 20 years, who's a retired law enforcement officer that now works at Accurint - at Seisint, rather.

And I said, "Bill, I know how to find these guys." And so, Bob, us 50-year-old guys were running across my house into my bedroom, which is about a 100-foot run, like we're children. And within 30 seconds, I had 32,000 people up of interest.

O'Harrow: Now, did the idea come to you just then. I mean, had it been bubbling, and it just came to you? What happened?

Asher: I had written a program, previously, to determine people's wealth that very much looked at a lot of the characteristics. The logic was very similar, and I realized that I had a model already developed that could be written a different way to look for this particular type of person.

At noon the next day, which was September - Friday, September 14, that night about midnight, I called Tim Moore and said, "Tim, I think, if you can put together the right team of government officials and directors of departments, that we can catch these guys. We can find these guys."

O'Harrow: Now, which guys are you talking about?

Asher: Terrorists.

O'Harrow: Obviously, not the ones who are dead. You were talking about their colleagues and people who -

Asher: Sure.

O'Harrow: So, you called him at midnight.

Asher: And, FDLE started manning - They furnished and manned a secure facility that my scientists and my technologists and my programmers and I, ultimately, worked for the next two years, and are still working.

O'Harrow: How soon did that facility get up and running?

Asher: The FDLE guys showed up at about 9:00 in the morning, and the secure facility was built by Monday morning, from scratch, with computers on about 20 desks and a conference room tied into our supercomputers and the logic that we had developed.

Back to No Place to Hide

[bleever]

22. This:

"I was told to take notes on the following:
Company Names/Locations/Field of Expertise
Technology overlaps
What you infer from what you are being told"

[lala_rawraw]

23. lol thanks.. trying to multitask

[AntiFascist]

105. Targeting of Latin Americans seems to be a key thing....

as this could create problems in Mexico. Here is a lot of info, from the rigged-aggregators blog...keep in mind some people accused us of spreading disinformation with this blog and others, but then they were also rabidly going after Rodney, who ran this blog:

http://rigged-aggregators.blogspot.com/2005/03/hidden-engagements-deals-continued.html

Legal experts in the US and Mexico said ChoicePoint
could be liable for prosecution if those who supplied
it with the personal information could be proven
to have broken local laws.

That raises the possibility that any person whose data
was accessible to American officials could take legal
action against the US government.

"Anybody who felt they were affected by this could take the US
government to court," said Julio Tellez, an expert in Mexican
information legislation at the Tec de Monterrey University.
"We could all do it ... We are not prepared to sell our
intimacies for a fistful of dollars."

How the US is using the information remains mysterious,
although its focus on Latin America suggests obvious
applications in targeting illegal immigrants. Whatever
the reasons, its commitment to ChoicePoint is long-term:
last year's $11m payment was part of a contract
worth $67m that runs until 2005.

[EVDebs]

174. Greg Palast reported on ChoicePoint's acquisition of Latin databases

""In April 2003, Jim Krane of the Associated Press wrote an article about the sale of this information that ran in newspapers internationally. From there, the documents sparked inquiries in Mexico and other Central and South American countries regarding the sale of foreign citizens' personal information to the US government by information broker ChoicePoint.

Latin American privacy experts claim that the acquisition of the information by ChoicePoint may have been illegal, and that the sale infringes on national sovereignty. Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, and Mexican authorities have decided to investigate the matter, and the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute filed a criminal complaint against persons who have sold voter data to ChoicePoint.

One group of documents obtained from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) shows that ChoicePoint offered a contract for unlimited direct access to international databases for a $1 million fee. Other documents obtained from the Department of Justice Management Division show that the agency entered into an $11 million contract with ChoicePoint for fiscal year 2002.""

http://www.epic.org/privacy/choicepoint/

[AntiFascist]

220. EVDebs, do you know if there is more....

background information on Ben H. Bell, III, other than what is included in his online resume? I realize that as a former intel agent he may have false identities or a false background.

[Marie26]

188. Why do you think they want Latin American databases? nt

[AntiFascist]

231. Based on EVDebs response in post #227...

It sounds like putting illegal immigrants on the payroll with false social security numbers allows social security money to be siphoned into various depts, such as the Dept. of Agriculture, that have a known history of corruption. The money may then be used for various illegal purposes. The Latin American databases may provide personal information on who is most appropriate to "put on the payroll."

On Edit: I might add, why would farmers go along with this? Look at the huge $10s of billions in subsidies that farmers receive and the tremendous popularity of Bush among many farmers.

[EVDebs]

234. Dept of Ag is the second most corrupt behind Bureau of Indian Affairs

who were ALSO ripped off in order to set up the Indian gaming. Previous domestic skims for the CIA, where in Vegas and with Howard Hughes' casinos were sold off and the CIA needed another source to skim (but that's another story). Remember, it was HH's money that was used for Operation Jennifer, the Glomar Explorer/raiseRussianSub project. And remember the Danny Casolaro 'Indio' stuff re Cabazon tribe ? Guess what tribe is responsible for legalizing indian gaming via a US supreme court decision ? Exploiting the tribe's sovereign status allowed for CIA weapons demonstrations etc during Contra war in Nicaragua.

Where praytell did the skimmed monies resulting in the Indian Trust go ? And how long was this skim going on ? Won't find out but Indians were thrown the bone of casinos in order to avoid too messy an investigation
http://www.indiantrust.com/

The Farm Bureau is essential corporate farming these days and the little guys go along for the ride, even if it's not in their long term interests, hence the need for Farm Aid. Oil companies are major agriculture interests, I might add also. See Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert for an explanation of the oil/farming interests. In California for example oil companies formed subsidiaries for agricultural holdings and in wine country they owned various vineyards. The oil companies got favorable tax treatment for this arrangement.

By now, many of these oil companies real estate and ag subsidiaries may have changed names or been divested

see Shell's Western Farm Service and some of Unocal's were acquired by Agrium in 2000 per
this (see p. 3)
www.westernfarmservice.com/pdf/CA%20AUG%2003Scroll.pdf

[Marie26]

239. Wow

I never knew about this. Illegal immigrants create huge amounts of money for SSA & Medicare. And it forms a real connection between data-mining comp. like ChoicePoint, big business & the fed. gov. agencies

Illegal Immigrants Are Bolstering Social Security With Billions - NY Times

"As the debate over Social Security heats up, the estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year. While it has been evident for years that illegal immigrants pay a variety of taxes, the extent of their contributions to Social Security is striking: the money added up to about 10 percent of last year's surplus...

Starting in the late 1980's, the Social Security Administration received a flood of W-2 earnings reports with incorrect - sometimes simply fictitious - Social Security numbers. It stashed them in what it calls the "earnings suspense file" in the hope that someday it would figure out whom they belonged to.

In the current decade, the file is growing, on average, by more than $50 billion a year, generating $6 billion to $7 billion in Social Security tax revenue and about $1.5 billion in Medicare taxes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/05/business/05immigration.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5090&en=78c87ac4641dc383&ex=1270353600&partner=kmarx

"Social Security's secret stash" - Consumer Affairs

"The "Earnings Supense Fund" has become a hotbed for debate over everything from immigration rights to identity theft, as it continues to accrue money at roughly $6 billion a year, with the total as of 2005 sitting at $519 billion. As MSNBC reporter Bob Sullivan put it in an interview with ConsumerAffairs.Com, the ESF is part of a "grand mystery," wherein money seems to disappear. But where does the money come from, what happens to it, and why isn't more being done about the problem? ....

The usage of fake or stolen Social Security numbers for illegal immigrants would seem to be an issue of national concern. So why isn't more being done to police the spread of SSN theft? Because there's too much profit to be made from it, and not just by the thieves themselves. Big business and major corporations use illegal labor because it's cheap and easily replaceable. If that means turning a blind eye to day laborers using fake or stolen SSN's, it's the price to pay for profit. Social Security wins the game through maintaining a small pot of benefits that will never be tapped, because the workers who would receive them cannot report their earnings without fear of deportation. The IRS wins because it collects the taxes withheld from fraudulent employee accounts without having to refund any of it, since no tax return is ever filed. In short, the earnings suspense file is the jackpot for a very profitable game..."

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/02/ss_secret_stash.html \
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050410/news_mz1e10ruben.html


The gov. makes a ton of money off of illegal immigrants - 7$ Billion a year. This money just sits there in the "earnings suspense fund," possibly very easy to divert. Choice Point gets huge DHS contracts to create databases on Latin Americans, at the same time it collects SSNs & loses millions of SSN/records to hackers, at the same time the feds make billions from illegal imm. w/fake SSN numbers. There's a huge connection between the issues of immigration and identity theft - lost SSN can be assigned to undocumented workers to put them into the taxation system. So there's another possible Choice Point connection. Finally, someone mentioned that many oil comp. create vineyards & agri. holdings, the prime employers of undocumented workers. Connection? I really think there's something to this.

[lala_rawraw]

25. 12 X a bytes?

What does this mean?

[TayTay]

28. Terabytes?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

26. 12 exabytes before 1999

estimating 12 more since 1999

1) 2 to the 60th power (1,152,921,504,606,846,976) bytes. An exabyte is equal to 1,024 petabytes.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/exabyte.html

[lala_rawraw]

27. Axium 50k mile stack of bibles

is amount of files that Axium has O'Harrow

[lala_rawraw]

29. Boom, there is choicepoint mention

[lala_rawraw]

30. Lex/Nex too? That cannot be the third company

can it?

[Sydnie]

34. I remember reading something about them becoming more involved

in this end of the data collection stuff several years ago .. looking at the legal end of crunching people.

[Marie26]

186. Lex/Nex was one of the companies that leaked information

to identity thieves. And check this out:

"It didn't take long for politicians to seize on the latest LexisNexis data leak as evidence that more federal laws are needed.

After LexisNexis revealed on Tuesday that an intrusion into its Seisint databases may have compromised personal information on about 310,000 Americans, a tenfold increase on its previous estimate, members of Congress quickly pledged an aggressive response."

http://news.com.com/LexisNexis+flap+draws+outcry+from+Congress/2100-7348_3-5668119.html

Lex/Nex uses Seisint databases! It bought out the company.

[Emit]

187. Seisint was sold in October for $775 mi to Reed Elsevier PLC -owns Lexis-N

see post # 142


from the link at that post:

Seisint was sold in October for $775 million to Reed Elsevier PLC, which owns Lexis-Nexis. But that price was down from previous offers of about $1 billion, said James Carroll, Asher's attorney... Langone, a board member of potential Seisint bidder ChoicePoint, called other potential bidders and "maliciously defamed and disparaged Seisint and Asher," according to the lawsuit. Langone told the bidders that "the books were cooked" and that "Seisint was run by 'bad people,'" in hopes of driving down the price of the company, the lawsuit claims....

[Sydnie]

31. Just mentioned Lexis-Nexis n/t

[TayTay]

36. Makes sense

They do data collection. See the stuff on Thread #1 about ChoicePoint. They also testified before Congress last May and detailed their business and what data they collect globally.

[bleever]

33. Russert is going after this eagerly, and asking good questions.

With the zeal of a man who believes he can save his journalistic soul. And maybe he can.

[Junkdrawer]

35. So the most powerful data miners, who deduce your political beliefs...

determine if you're eligible to vote...

Perhaps that's the "overlap"?

[lala_rawraw]

37. What I cannot understand

Is how someone thought it okay to give Karl Rove and Dick Cheney this kind of power.

[bleever]

41. Not my idea. nt

[Patsy Stone]

66. Well

That makes at least two of us. :hi:

[bleever]

78. Whew!

Glad to hear it.

:hi:

[RazzleDazzle]

156. Uh, didn't they mostly just TAKE it?

[bleever]

38. .

:bounce:

[Sydnie]

39. don't know if this means anything

http://www.choicepoint.com/choicepoint/news.nsf/1e81a178107b63b18525687f005493a7/0e4861bbe6a63e4a8525710700793056?OpenDocument

ChoicePoint® Increases Share Buyback;
Terminates Shareholder Rights Plan

ALPHARETTA, GA – January 31, 2006 – The Board of Directors of ChoicePoint Inc. (NYSE: CPS) has increased the value of the company's current share buyback program. At today's regular Board meeting, directors also approved the termination of the company's shareholder rights plan, commonly referred to as a "poison pill."
The Board increased the value of the company's previously announced share buyback program by $125 million to a total repurchase value of $375 million. ChoicePoint has already repurchased 2.9 million shares valued at $125.6 million since the repurchase program was initiated in August 2005.

The shareholder rights plan was initially adopted in connection with the company's spin-off in 1997 and would have terminated by its terms in November 2007. The decision to terminate the rights plan reflects the Board's strong belief in transparency and commitment to being at the leading edge of governance practices.

The Board's decisions are effective immediately.

Are they looking to take apublic company private?

[bleever]

44. Privatize, privatize, privatize.

Good catch, Syd.

:thumbsup:

[Sydnie]

56. Began in July of 2005 and they are already done?

ChoicePoint® Announces Share Repurchase Program

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - July 26, 2005 - ChoicePoint Inc. (NYSE: CPS) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of up to $250 million in Company stock, based on ChoicePoint's growth and strong cash flow.
"Our strong financial performance continues to generate significant cash flow, providing us with the flexibility to invest internally in our business and make acquisitions," noted ChoicePoint Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Derek V. Smith. "With the strength of our business, we also have the opportunity to drive shareholder value by buying back our stock while investing in the growth of our business."

The company recently reported record second quarter total revenue of $266.0 million. The company also reported operating income of $58.9 million and earnings per share of $0.40. Operating cash flow increased 14 percent for the first six months of the year to $116.3 million. Net debt was approximately $69.0 million as of June 30, 2005.

The open market repurchase program will be effective ten days following the filing of the company's Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2005 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. ChoicePoint has approximately 90 million common shares outstanding.

--------

Also showing record profits -
ChoicePoint® Revenues Exceed $1 Billion in 2005

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - January 26, 2006 - ChoicePoint Inc. (NYSE: CPS) today reported record total revenue of $1.1 billion for 2005, a 15 percent increase over total revenue in 2004. Full year 2005 Earnings Per Share ("EPS") from continuing operations was $1.53, which included a $0.24 per share dilutive effect of specific expenses related to the previously disclosed fraudulent data access, a probable settlement with the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), and the abandonment of certain leases. Excluding these charges in 2005, EPS from continuing operations increased 9 percent for the full year 2005 over 2004.

For the fourth quarter of 2005, the Company reported total revenue of $257.9 million, representing growth of 11 percent compared to $232.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2004. EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.30 which included a $0.14 per share dilutive effect of specific expenses related to the fraudulent data access and other operating charges noted above. Excluding these charges in 2005, EPS would have been $0.44, a 2.5 percent increase over the comparable period of 2004.

In the near future, the Company expects to finalize a settlement with the FTC regarding its investigation into the Company's compliance with federal laws governing consumer information security and related issues, including the fraudulent data access which occurred last year. The Company expects the terms of the settlement to call for a civil penalty, establishment of a fund to be administered by the FTC for consumer redress initiatives, completion of certain one-time and on-going customer credentialing activities such as additional site visits, and undertaking additional obligations relating to information security. As part of this settlement, the Company does not admit to the truth of, or liability for, any of the matters alleged by the FTC.

"2005 was a milestone year for ChoicePoint as we successfully addressed a variety of challenges to deliver strong performance in our key business units. We strengthened our leadership position in high growth markets and made changes to our business model and leadership team. ChoicePoint is better positioned today to deliver value to our shareholders through helping our customers better manage economic and physical risks. Our associates stepped up to the challenges they encountered in 2005, and I am very proud of their efforts. In addition, I am pleased with our anticipated settlement with the FTC. I am confident that the proposed settlement is the right thing to do for ChoicePoint, our shareholders and consumers," noted Derek V. Smith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
more - http://www.choicepoint.com/choicepoint/news.nsf/1e81a178107b63b18525687f005493a7/2a89e7d31152d32085257101007f8821?OpenDocument

[NewJeffCT]

106. Actually, could be just the opposite

If a company buys back their own shares, it is often because they believe the value will go up in the future... meaning the company will have an improved cash flow when they sell the more valuable stock.

Getting rid of the poison pill provision *may* mean they feel they may be a target of a takeover, and buy purchasing their own shares, the company will increase in value more when somebody tries to purchase them -
meaning, if Choicepoint is selling at $40/share now, and somebody wants to buy them, they would likely offer more than the $40/share to make sure the Choicepoint board approves the sale. So, Microsoft comes along and offers $48/share for Choicepoint. The Choicepoint stock suddenly jumps up to somewhere around $48, meaning all the stock the company just purchased for $38-40/share is now worth $48. So, when you bought $375 million in stock at $40 share, you now have $450 million of Choicepoint stock.

[Marie26]

190. Ending shareholder's rights plan

But terminating the shareholder's rights plan also means that they've ended some of the protections against a hostile takeover, doesn't it? And they ended it apruptly - that sounds like they may know of a takeover attempt soon & are trying to help it happen. Does that make sense?

[NewJeffCT]

210. Yes, that makes sense

Maybe they don't know of a definite plan to take them over... but, they could have gotten a few feelers through indirect channels saying, "hey, I heard if you guys got rid of that poison pill, you may have a few interested buyers with deep pockets...."

[Marie26]

215. Here's what scares me

These data-mining companies are all buying each other out. Choice Point bought out DBT, & consolidated with a million other data-gathering services (check our their web-site). A DBT executive created Seisient, which was quickly bought out by Reed Elvisier (Lexis). It's being consolidated quickly. Imagine if one company was able to gain control of all of these data-mining services. They would have complete information on every American - DNA, SSN, credit, addresses, public records, milk preferences. Now imagine if that company has a cozy relationship with the President of the United States. Nixon got in trouble for clumsily trying to gather data on political opponents. But now, they wouldn't need to investigate "political enemies" - they'd have every fact at the tip of their fingers. I think, if we hear that Reed Elsevier or SAIC is planning to buy out ChoicePoint, it's time to buy the bunker.

[RazzleDazzle]

157. Private -- like SAIC, and like CARLYLE GROUP?

I would think so. Lots less public inspection. SAIC, employee-owned, is one of the most secretive companies in the world (or so I feel). Same for Carlyle Group.

[Marie26]

189. Less shareholders = less accountability.

Public companies have to release a lot of info that private companies do not. Also, shareholders can petition for information about the company's business practices. If they buy out the shareholders, they can keep everything within a very small, closed, group of people. Maybe they are buying them out to increase secrecy. Why, I wonder, would they want or need secrecy? Hmmm.

[lala_rawraw]

42. Seismic INtel is the third company, the one in Florida

Remember, I was told the third was Florida... this must be it

[lala_rawraw]

46. Program called Matrix, skin color, hair color, and zip

Code he is saying can track and pick up the right people and photographs. Now used by Homeland Security via Lex/Nex

[TayTay]

58. LaLawawa

See thread one. Matrix is a big law enforcement program used to gather info on people.

I tink your other company is Seisent. See thread one for info.

[Emit]

144. MATRIX database measured 'terrorism quotient'

They deny they are using that part of the program -- they say the 'shelved it' --uh huh.

MATRIX database measured 'terrorism quotient'
by Brian Bergstein, Associated Press

May 20, 2004

NEW YORK (AP) -- Before helping to launch the criminal information project known as MATRIX, a database contractor gave U.S. and Florida authorities the names of 120,000 people who showed a statistical likelihood of being terrorists -- sparking some investigations and arrests.

The "high terrorism factor" scoring system also became a key selling point for the involvement of the database company, Seisint Inc., in the MATRIX project.

Public records obtained by The Associated Press from several states show that Justice Department officials cited the scoring technology in appointing Seisint sole contractor on the federally funded, $12 million project.

Seisint and the law enforcement officials who oversee MATRIX insist that the terrorism scoring system ultimately was kept out of the project, largely because of privacy concerns.

However, new details about Seisint's development of the "terrorism quotient," including the revelation that authorities apparently acted on the list of 120,000, are renewing privacy activists' suspicions about MATRIX's potential power.

cont'd: http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:n0umos1T-2MJ:www.unknownnews.net/040521matrix.html+Asher+Cheney+Matrix&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10

[Marie26]

209. Hank Asher, head of Seisint & DBT (Choice Point sub.)

This guy seems to be the center of it all. He was the former head of DBT (ChoicePoint), which is the company that purged the Fla. voter rolls in 2000. In 1999, he created Seisint, another data-mining company, and created the Matrix data-mining program to flag suspected terrorists. Seisint was later sold to Reed Elsevier (Lexis-Nexis owner) in 2004. Asher resigned from Seisint in 2003 amid rumors of ties to drug smuggling.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Hank_Asher

"Seisint Inc., is a Boca Raton, Fla., company founded by a millionaire, Hank Asher, who stepped down from its board of directors last year after revelations of past ties to drug smugglers."
http://www.unknownnews.net/040521matrix.html

Boca Raton, Fla. That's really ringing a bell. Isn't that where Jack Abramoff was operating from? Abramoff is someone else who seemed to rise from nobody to Republican superpower after the 2000 election.

[seafan]

179. Seisint in Boca Raton, FL n/t

[RandiFan1290]

43. Axium Health Care??

http://www.axiumhealthcare.com/

Your prescription for better patient care

Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc. is a nationwide clinical specialty pharmacy provider with expertise in managing patients on complex therapies and specialty medication distribution. As one of the nation's leading specialty pharmacies, Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc. provides comprehensive disease-management programs as well as injectable and oral pharmaceutical treatments for:

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Crohn's Disease
Dermatology
Growth Hormone Deficiency
Hemophilia
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS
Infectious Diseases

IVIg
Mental Health
Multiple Sclerosis
Neurological Conditions
Oncology/Hematology
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
and more!

[hootinholler]

47. See upthread for my guesswho.

[Sydnie]

45. the Matrix - florida n/t

[Junkdrawer]

50. Big article on Matrix from Vanity Fair...

http://www.vanityfair.com/commentary/content/printables/050131roco01?print=true

[Marie26]

222. WP article on Matrix by O'Harrow

U.S. Backs Florida's New Counterterrorism Database
'Matrix' Offers Law Agencies Faster Access to Americans' Personal Records

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 6, 2003; Page A01

Police in Florida are creating a counterterrorism database designed to give law enforcement agencies around the country a powerful new tool to analyze billions of records about both criminals and ordinary Americans. Organizers said the system, dubbed Matrix, enables investigators to find patterns and links among people and events faster than ever before, combining police records with commercially available collections of personal information about most American adults. ...

In 1999, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI suspended information service contracts with an earlier Asher-run company because of concerns about his past, according to law enforcement sources. The Chicago Tribune reported in 1987 that court documents in a federal drug case said defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey, who identified Asher as a pilot and onetime smuggler, offered him as an informant.

Jennie Khoen, a spokeswoman for the Florida department, said yesterday that the agency knew about Asher's "history with drug smuggling," including his work as an informant. Moore said his department "knew about Mr. Asher's past."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A21872-2003Aug5

[AnnieBW]

48. Rerun?

Is CNBC going to rerun this?

[EstimatedProphet]

101. Looks like it's being rerun at 1 am EST

[lala_rawraw]

49. ChoicePoint Contracted with CIA he just said

[Emit]

139. ChoicePoint contracts with at least 35 government agencies

For government security and intelligence agencies who are barred (by the Privacy Act of 1974) from maintaining dossiers on individuals not suspected in wrongdoing, signing contracts with the data aggregators allows them to circumvent such laws by accessing the dossiers kept by the private sector.

ChoicePoint, for example, claims to have contracts with at least 35 government agencies. It has an $8 million contract with the Justice Department that allows FBI agents to tap into the company's vast database of personal information on individuals, as well as contracts with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the IRS, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.<10>

The growing surveillance nexus between the private sector and government is the subject of the ACLU report "The Surveillance-Industrial Complex," online at www.aclu.org/surveillance.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:CiUddyRi1noJ:www.aclu.org/privacy/consumer/15301leg20050310.html+choicepoint+cia+contracts&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

[Marie26]

169. Possible connection to TIA program?

In 2002, the Defense Dept. began a program called "Total Information Awareness" that would create a database to track all Americans. The program would also use super-computers to data-mine the information to look for "suspicious"/terrorist behaviors. It was actually opened & existed as part of the "Information Awareness Office." However, there was a huge outcry in Congress; and in Ja. 2003, Congress passed a bill to halt the program for further study. In Sept. of 2003, the Defense Dept. reached an "agreement" w/Congress to close the office & kill the program.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Information_Awareness
http://www.thememoryhole.org/policestate/iao-logo.htm
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,54342,00.html "Feds Open 'Total' Tech Spy System"

But when has this Admins. stopped doing anything because Congress tells them not to? All indications are that the program was simply moved to the NSA. During intelligence hearings this Jan., a Senator specifically asked the intel. heads if the Pentagon TIA program had been shut down. All answered "I don't know" except one, Gen. Hayden of the NSA. Instead, he requested a closed session.http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/3/16220/78435. This tells me that the NSA is probably running the TIA successor now, w/Hayden as it's director. Coincidentally, Hayden is also in charge of the NSA's illegal eavesdropping program. The NSA is still running TIA, and probably combining it w/info gained from phone calls to create one massive superdatabase.

The one snag is that Congress specifically told the Admin. that it would not fund the program. So what did they do? They OUTSOURCED it, of course. Counterpoint can supply the NSA w/all the information it needs to feed into it's data-mining program. By sending it to a private company, they can technically argue it's not breaking a law, & it's easier to hide the funding as private contracts.

You can find a virtual twin of every TIA program within Counterpoint. Let's compare what Choicepoint does to what TIA did:

TIA program:
- Database - Genisys is the codename for the database system which the IAO plans to implement as the center of its information storage and processing. Currently used database systems designed in the 1980s do not have the capacity for the massive amount of data the IAO plans to gather.
- Biometrics - Human Identification at a Distance, or HumanID, "is to develop automated biometric identification technologies to detect, recognize and identify humans at great distances." This program intends to have the capability of implementing a face and gait identification system effective up to 150 meters at all times by fiscal year 2004.
- Data-mining & analysis - Genoa "provides the structured argumentation, decision-making and corporate memory to rapidly deal with and adjust to dynamic crisis management." In essence, the IAO intended this program to make conclusions and decisions based on available information, incorporating human analysis, corporate history, and a structured set of thinking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Information_Awareness

Counterpoint:
- Database - AutoTrackXP® - access to more than 17 billion current and historical records on individuals and businesses, and allows users to browse through those records instantly. With as little information as a name or Social Security number, users can cross-reference public and proprietary records including identity verification information, relatives and associates, corporate information, real property records, deed transfers and much more. http://www.choicepoint.com/industry/government/public_le_1.html
- Biometrics - Biometric Information Solutions- ChoicePoint helps organizations verify and authenticate a claimed identity prior to capturing and enrolling biometric data...TrueID captures information from a photo ID and electronically compares the information against our databases of more than 17 billion records. The captured and verified information is then available at all points of service for a subscribing organization. http://www.choicepoint.com/business/biometric/bis.html, http://www.choicepoint.com/business/authen/true_id.html
- Data mining & analysis - ChoicePoint’s i2 is the leading worldwide provider of visual investigative analysis software for law enforcement, intelligence, military and Fortune 500 organizations. The integrated suite of products enables investigators and analysts to quickly understand complex scenarios and volumes of seemingly unrelated data, perform analysis and communicate the results. http://www.choicepoint.com/industry/government/i2inc.html

Ta-da! Banned TIA program is shuffled into the NSA, and outsourced to ChoicePoint. The NSA can later take this info & use it for other purposes as well. Such as cross-referencing it info gained from telephone calls, emails, etc. Probably can also share it among other agencies of the DHS, such as the CIA or FBI. Big Brother is definitely watching, & probably has been for a while.

[Emit]

175. And, profiling thru statistical "high terrorism factor"- Seisint's MATRIX

See post #144
Seisint denies that the program is still in effect, but questions remain as to whether they could bring it back whenever they desire -- the capability is there.

MATRIX, a database contractor gave U.S. and Florida authorities the names of 120,000 people who showed a statistical likelihood of being terrorists -- sparking some investigations and arrests...

The "high terrorism factor" scoring system also became a key selling point for the involvement of the database company, Seisint Inc., in the MATRIX project...

Seisint and the law enforcement officials who oversee MATRIX insist that the terrorism scoring system ultimately was kept out of the project, largely because of privacy concerns.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:n0umos1T-2MJ:www.unknownnews.net/040521matrix.html+Asher+Cheney+Matrix&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10

[EVDebs]

178. ...and offshored to CAPPS II with Global Information Group in the

Bahamas under Ben H. Bell, IIIrd.

[Emit]

183. Yes, I read your excellent summation above, and I read this

last night:

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, CA there have been close to 60 reported security breaches of customer financial information from United States corporations thus far in 2005, involving 13.5 million customers’ identities. The companies include Choicepoint, Inc., Bank of America Corp., Wachovia Corp., Ameritrade Holding Corp., DSW Shoe Warehouse, Time Warner Inc., LexisNexis and most recently Citbank Financial Group. While most lost data has involved data storage tapes lost in transit by courier services or UPS, others involved computer security breaches. And as corporate America looks for ways to shore up its security problems rather than face the wrath of Congress, an even more unwieldy problem is brewing abroad.
As holes still exist in protecting the personal information of both customers and employees of corporations in the United States, many of these same corporations, which include the largest financial institutions and two of the three credit reporting agencies, have offshored information technology units which include-back office functions from customer service to software development and engineering.

Yet American customers or consumers are never informed whether or not their personal information and credit history is being offshored, as it is not required by U.S. corporations to do so. Coming to light is that various U.S. government programs and states are utilizing more and more offshore subcontractors in addition to those corporate entities which indirectly do business with the U.S. government. But unknown to the American consumer or taxpayer is the threat of theft of an individual’s identity and financial resources which remain largely unprotected without the ability to enforce U.S. law on foreign land.

Accounting firms are offshoring IRS tax preparation. The U.S Department of Agriculture defers to the states to run food stamp programs, with as many as 43 states offshoring call-centers to India even though federal law dictates that only U.S. government workers should handle the job. The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) which protects the health information of a patient and prevents healthcare companies from selling such information to third parties such as telemarketing firms, does not limit nor prohibit the transfer of information to overseas locations for third party subcontracted services. And many public and private hospitals are sending diagnostic radiology work to India with no law requiring notification to patients that a radiologist in India, unlicensed in the U.S., is reading x-rays and diagnosing illnesses and injuries. Known as “ghosting,” U.S. certified radiologists oversee radiologists in India while x-rays are electronically transmitted. Initiation of regulatory controls is only now in the beginning stages to ensure doctors performing such work are properly trained.

http://magic-city-news.com/article_4030.shtml

edited spelling

[Marie26]

208. Based on the articles posted here,

It looks like Seisent's MATRIX program & "Global Info. Group" do pretty much the same thing in terms of data-mining & labeling potential terrorists. Is that right? Just thought this could be an example of "overlapping technology" we're supposed to look for. Why are Lexis-Nexis, Acxiom & Global Info. all involved in creating no-fly lists? Seems to be a common thread.

[EVDebs]

226. Vacuum sweeper invasion of privacy with profiling.

It may even be legal within the US if they did it here instead of the Bahamas, but the 4th amendment's warrant and probable cause requirements negate that.

This is essentially an giant 'black op'. Besides, Congress probably never funded it properly, and therefore it's unconstitutional to boot.

Read James Bamford's books Puzzle Palace and Body of Secrets, you'll understand. It's all done on a wink and a nod.

[Marie26]

232. It seems like there's an absolutely huge gap

in the law here. What's the point of having these protections when they can just go around them? And probably these mega-bizes have the lobbyists to keep it that way. I'll try to check out those books, it's really an interesting (& scary) issue.

[Emit]

140. Good archived articles on ChoicePoint here

Including some written by O'Harrow

There's something about ChoicePoint
http://www.unknownnews.net/choicepoint.html#1206301

Companies are bought, sold, and change names more often than we do laundry, but as of early 2005, ChoicePoint owns AutoTrackXP, BodeTech (Bode Technology Group), EquiSearch, iMapData, KnowX, MARI (Mortgage Asset Research Institute Inc.), RRS Police Record Management, Superior Information Services, The Templar Corporation, and True ID.

With links to each co. This is just one example from one of the co's websites, Superior Information Services:

The USA Patriot Act, among other things, requires financial institutions to check the identity information of potential accountholders against government databases of known terrorists. That research can be done easily and quickly on our database. Our search engine gives you easy-to-use access to current databases, using straight name, Boolean and proximity searches.

http://www.soplus.com/application/publicrxwf

[proud patriot]

193. CIA has no business needing the info choicepoint has

unless they are spying on us too .

[Wheezy]

51. Lexis Nexis + ChoicePoint Google search...

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Lexis+Nexis+ChoicePoint&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[lala_rawraw]

52. Genetics and the CEO of choicepoint said

WE need more regulation

[livvy]

53. Sysic (sp) Now that is scary information.

Linked with Lexus. How is this being used by Homeland?

[lala_rawraw]

54. Read this, just got it

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0223nj1.htm

[linazelle]

138. These people are outlaws--they do whatever they want. Unreal.

[im10ashus]

55. Talking about ChoicePoint.

http://www.epic.org/privacy/choicepoint/

[lala_rawraw]

59. NSA ability... wow

Can listen to every phone call and every email... but also can download an entire country's telcom system and store it

[im10ashus]

67. Their reach is limitless.

Have you seen this site?

http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/

[DemInDistress]

136. that is quite a site..I didn't realize the extent of information

collected. My question is, is there anything they (data miners) missed? They seemed to have covered all the bases. Wow, I am shocked and now enlightened I will treat my info more selectively. Its a smorgasbord of personal info.

[hootinholler]

60. Ok, we have an Axium co.

Is it this one?


If so, then who is "Security Industry Leader James W. Power" besides the new Chairman?

What's the third company? Lexis/Nexis?

-Hoot

[lala_rawraw]

65. No...

Choicepoint
Siesmic Systems (remember, had to be a Florida co, and it is), then Lex/Nex purchased it and sold to Homelanders
Axium

[hootinholler]

69. Ok, then which Axium?

Has anyone found it on the net yet?

-Hoot

[kalibex]

89. Is it Acxiom in Little Rock?

http://www.acxiom.com/default.aspx?ID=1636&DisplayID=18

-B

[Sydnie]

95. Yes n/t

[Sydnie]

102. they outsource IT too

Acxiom manages nearly 300,000 square feet of raised floor space across 11 data centers worldwide including the U.S., Europe, China, and Australia.

[bobbieinok]

131. DU discussions primary 2004....Gen Clark on board of acxiom

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7380-2003Sep26.html


Clark Worked For Ark. Data Firm
Acxiom Role Part of Surveillance Debate
By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 27, 2003; Page A08


Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark helped an Arkansas information company win a contract to assist development of an airline passenger screening system, one of the largest surveillance programs ever devised by the government.

Starting just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Clark sought out dozens of government and industry officials on behalf of Acxiom Corp., a data powerhouse that maintains names, addresses and a wide array of personal details about nearly every adult in the United States and their households, according to interviews and documents.

Clark, a Democrat who declared himself a presidential candidate 10 days ago, joined Acxiom's board of directors in December 2001. He earned $300,000 from Acxiom last year and was set to receive $150,000, plus potential commissions, this year, according to financial disclosure records. He owns several thousand shares of Acxiom stock worth more than $67,000.

more....

[Marie26]

191. So Acxiom creates the Do-Not-Fly lists? nt

[Digit]

192. Whaaaaa??? n/t

[EVDebs]

198. Hmmm. So is Alltel also a part of this ? What connections are there...

Jackson Stephen's Systematics...please read

The White House "Big Brother" Data Base & How Jackson Stephens Precipitated a Banking Crisis
by J. Orlin Grabbe
http://www.aci.net/kalliste/bigbro.htm

""Score another coup for Jackson Stephens' Systematics (Alltel Information Services). It provided the software for the White House's "Big Brother" data base system, and now the White House is in a panic that there may be secret methods of accessing its computer.

The existence of the White House computer system and data base--known as WHODB, White House Office Data Base, and containing as many as 200,000 names--was revealed by Paul Rodriguez in the Washington Times. Some of the information was developed by Insight's Anthony Kimery, soon to be managing editor of the electronic publication SOURCES eJournal. Kimery is a writer whose articles in The American Banker and Wired were among the first to report U.S. government spying on domestic banking transactions. (Kimery was also fired from one magazine for looking into the death of Vince Foster.)

Now things have come full circle. The chief government effort to spy on U.S. domestic banking transactions was directed by the electronic spy agency, the National Security Agency (NSA), working in connection with the Little Rock software firm Systematics. Systematics, half-owned by billionaire Jackson Stephens (of Stephens Inc. fame), has been a major supplier of software for back office clearing and wire transfers. It was Stephens' attempt to get Systematics the job of handling the data processing for the Washington-D.C. bank First American that led to the BCCI takeover of that institution. Hillary Clinton and Vince Foster represented Systematics in that endeavor, and later Foster became an overseer of the NSA project with respect to Systematics.""


I remember during the BCCI fiasco that Jackson Stephens, who went to the Naval Academy with Jimmy Carter and former CIA chief Stansfield Turner, helped get 1992 campaign monies to both Clinton and Bush (with Worthen Bank, where he owned a controlling interest), according to Evil Money by Rachel Ehrenfeld page 180:

"The BCCI debacle made ts first intrusion into the US presidential race in 1992 and may be more damaging to the Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, governor of Arkansas, than his alleged extramarital affair. Clinton's fund-raiser and confidant, Jackson Stephens, a billionaire from Little Rock who owns the controlling interest of Worthen National Bank in Little Rock, was the person who introduced Bert Lance to Abedi. While Stephens might not have known back in 1977 that BCCI was a criminal bank, Bill Clinton had full knowledge of Stephen's involvement with BCCI when he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Stephens family for his campaign. On the eve of the New Hampshire primary Robert Morganthau was looking into the BCCI/Stephens/Clinton link. In December 1991 The Wall Street Journal reported that Stephens and his bank invested in Harken Energy, a small Texas investment company of which George Bush, Jr, is a board member. The money Stephens invested came through the Swiss BCCI subsidiary."

Stephens, one of Poppy's friends
http://hannah.smith-family.com/archive/000978.html

"The second thing that's interesting is that Brent Wilkes is connected to one Jackson T. Stephens, one of Poppy's old friends and one of Georgie's biggest contributors, as well as one of Clinton's main supporters in 1992. Makes one think that perhaps Bill was a sponsored candidate, who was meant to lose, and Ross spoiled the game, or perhaps Poppy decided that he really preferred to rule from the shadows as he'd been doing for a couple of decades."

No wonder GHWB and Clinton are such good buds these days. They both got Stephens (and Systematics ? WH database ?) in common.

[TayTay]

75. Here is Hoovers on these

http://www.hoovers.com/choicepoint/--ID__54024--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml

http://www.hoovers.com/lexisnexis/--ID__43553--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml

http://www.hoovers.com/gaits/--ID__120238--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml

Also: Where is ChoicePoint: http://www.choicepointinc.com/choicepoint/efx00014.nsf/weblocations?openview

[Emit]

81. Recent article which includes ChoicePoint, Axium, LexisNexis

and a few more. Similar content as to what is being discussed here:

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:fEaLJtvirzsJ:www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050227.wchoicep0227/BNStory/Technology+Axium+datamining&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

[bleever]

"Can download an entire nation's communications"...Risen.

[Emit]

71. I think this is what this German blogger was referring to

My German is pretty rusty, but seems there was some sort of "award" (in jest) given to some of these kinds of Big Brother companies -- anyway ChoicePoint was mentioned.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:4rSDrKVVwo0J:www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/7/7092/1.html+NSA+ChoicePoint&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10

[bleever]

76. Uh oh. I clicked on that international link.

"The candy is in the top drawer of your sleeping bag."

[Patsy Stone]

110. Hear that Agent Mike?

Project X is moving right along...

[DemReadingDU]

151. Just WOW, unbelievable!

must be using some super humongous computers

[EVDebs]

203. Jackson Stephen's Systematics and Alltel are in on a lot of this

with the NSA. Stephens went to the Naval Academy with Jimmie Carter and Stan Turner btw. Also a good buddy of GHW 'Poppy' Bush. Lovely. He fronts Clinton in '92 at the same time he's grooming GW in his Worthen Bank investments. Fastforward a dozen or so years and voila, control of both candidates for prez AND a nice NSA deal on the WhiteHouse computer systems (backdoor, anyone ?).

[Sydnie]

61. Overseas they can listen to everything and archive it

fiber optic lines all around the world

[Viva_La_Revolution]

64. if they can do it overseas...

they can do it here. The question we want answered is do they?

[Wheezy]

62. ChoicePoint was involved

in the 30 000 records that were stolen -- visa or bank accounts a few years ago? And lexis was the one who lost them.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/13/lexis_nexis_loses_more_data/

Data wholesaler LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier, has admitted that personal information concerning 310,000 US citizens has been stolen. In March, the company admitted to losing data related to only 32,000 victims.
It has since transpired that unauthorized users breached the system 59 times using stolen passwords, and grabbed data belonging to an additional 278,000 people.


The disclosure mirrors the ChoicePoint debacle, in which only 35,000 victims were acknowledged initially, a number later rounded up slightly to 100,000.
In less than seven weeks' time it has been revealed that, in addition to privacy invasion outfits ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, payroll handler PayMaxx, Bank of America, health care heavyweight San Jose Medical Group, California State University at Chico, Boston College, the University of California at Berkeley, and a large shoe retailer called DSW, have all lost control of sensitive data concerning millions of victims.
One can only guess at the impact of similar incidents that have yet be reported.®

[Marie26]

194. Do we know who that info was lost to?

Identity thieves would've started using it at the nearest Macy's. But the articles don't say that people were actually victimized or actually had unathorized charges. Did that happen or didn't it? If it didn't, that would make me think that this info was not "leaked" to criminals, but someone who had another purpose. Does anyone know? Does anyone know if there was some common pattern in the people who had their data leaked?

[Emit]

196. Here's just a bit of info regarding one of the people involved in scam

from a year ago:

Feb. 18, 2005

On Thursday, the only suspect so far connected to the case, Olatunji Oluwatosin, 41, pled “no contest" to a single count of ID theft, according to Jane Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Oluwatosin was sentenced to 16 months in state prison and ordered to pay a small fine. Other charges against him were dropped.

~snip~

After ChoicePoint received a suspicious application for an account faxed from a Kinko’s in Southern California, the company sent a responding fax requesting a new signature. Deputies who had staked out the store arrested Oluwatosin when he arrived to pick up the fax.

Oluwatosin, who is originally from Nigeria but had been living in North Hollywood, according to the Times, had been charged with six felony identity theft counts.

He told investigators at the time he was not involved in any identity theft scam and was only picking up the fax for someone else.

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:V8qH8MF1kt8J:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6979897/+choicepoint+identity+theft+case&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

Edited to add, here's a more recent article:

Nigerian Sentenced in ChoicePoint ID Case
Updated: Friday, Feb. 10, 2006 - 7:59 PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Nigerian national who pleaded guilty to identity theft charges related to information stolen from consumer data collector ChoicePoint Inc. was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $6.5 million in restitution.

~snip~

Oluwatosin pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to commit computer access fraud and grand theft, the district attorney's office said in a statement. He was indicted by a grand jury in August 2005 on 22 counts of identity theft, conspiracy, grand theft and credit card fraud. Oluwatosin was serving a 16-month prison term for a separate identity theft case last year when he was indicted.

The charges spanned a period of more than two years beginning in January 2002. Prosecutors alleged that a fake business called "Pacific Collections" used a Beverly Hills mail drop to set up a ChoicePoint account. The process was repeated with mail drops in North Hollywood, Encino, North Hills and West Hollywood with fake businesses that accessed ChoicePoint data.

~snip~

Oluwatosin, when he entered his plea, admitted stealing more than $2.5 million.

~snip

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:Ff0ksUBffd0J:www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php%3Fnid%3D185%26sid%3D181126+Olatunji+Oluwatosin+&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10

[Marie26]

199. That's it?

Thanks for the link. What I don't understand is, info was stolen from about 300,000 Americans. So - shouldn't 300,000 Americans have been victims of identity fraud? There was another data loss in 2002, & about $1 million in fraudulent purchases before the criminals were caught. So far, in this case, no one has mentioned any fraudulent purchases at all. Why would you steal all this data if you weren't going to use it?

This guy is the only suspect arrested for the CP data loss? That's odd. I guess maybe he was caught before he could do more. But he was only charged with one count of identity theft - presumably for the fake application he tried to send at Kinko's. He didn't even have his own fax machine - that's petty stuff. This can't be the same guy who was behind the high-tech hacking of 300,000 accounts. And if he was, the charges would be much more serious than one count & a 16-month sentence. It's interesting that all other charges were dropped. I bet this case has nothing at all to do w/the massive CounterPoint data-stealing. Which makes me wonder who was.

[Emit]

200. THAT's exactly what I was thinking when I posted -- "That's IT"

I kept thinking why wasn't any further investigation ever done to see who else this guy was working for or with -- seems odd doesn't it?

edited clarity, I think :)

[Marie26]

201. Incredibly odd - but

I just saw your edited post. The later charges do seem in line w/this kind of identity theft - it looks that's a conspiracy theory blown. Thanks for posting that. In looking at CP's actions over the course of this scandal, though, they've consistently mislead about how much data has been lost & have no cooperated w/SEC or prosecutors' investigations. I still think there's something fishy.

http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/1000072 - ChoicePoint scandal timeline.

[blm]

230. There was also a Choicepoint exec killed in a 2001 planecrash, iirc.

Always assumed there was more to that, since they were involved in Florida voter purge.

[lala_rawraw]

63. Oh boy, I better not comment if I am to write on this...

Please continue live blogging this as I run off to talk to myself as to how this fits what has been said.

[bleever]

70. Ma'am, please step away from the keyboard.

:)

[bleever]

68. Russert is excited by this story, and that itself says a lot.

The "rally round the flag" effect synergistically combined with the power of the admin. to bully journalists and put a stranglehold on non-believers. Russert found himself unwittingly a pawn on someone else's chessboard.

Now he's being a journalist, trying to return to his own reality after finding himself in someone else's fantasy world.

[The Witch]

117. Will he break his silence on MtP or another forum...

...where he can be heard by many more?

Is this program live? Are we likely to see something move because of the airing of this program?

[fooj]

165. My hubby and I watched this last evening.

I told my husband very much the same thing. He has discovered that NOW HE may fall victim to the evils that he has helped to perpetuate.

Peace.

[Sydnie]

72. Verifiable Intelligence in Long Island n/t

[livvy]

73. Sys-x Corporation

http://www.sys-x.com/

Resourcing Solutions
Sys-X Corporation follows a clear straight-forward process to locate the ideal candidate to fill our client’s job openings. Unlike a traditional head-hunter, who matches candidates to job openings with little regard for suitability, Sys-X Corporation conducts full job searches following a very detailed process guaranteed to find the ideal candidate. Our process includes the following steps:

1. Development of a detailed Job Description.
2. Advertising for candidates
3. Prescreening of respondents
4. Interviewing of candidates
5. Technical Testing of short list
6. Reference Checking
Once we have identified a small number of candidates that have passed all of our rigorous steps, we will sit in with our client in the final interview. We take pride in delivering candidates that all are hirable and make it our goal to make the final interview stage an exercise of choosing between suitable candidates for the candidate that most suits the clients environment.

Please get in contact with us so that we can show you how we can use our experience to assist your organization achieve your business goals!

Audits
Sys-X Corporation’s experts have the experience required to perform many different kinds of audits to help identify and close holes. These include:

Security Audits. We will go through your organization with an eye towards identifying any customer data and assets which are at risk. Our president has written an article on this subject which is available for download from here.

Analytics
Standard Web Analytics Diagnostic. Focused on your public Web site, intranet or extranet, we’ll profile your most important group of Web visitors and analyze your Web traffic data to see how successfully you’re meeting their needs with your Web site. Who are your Web site visitors, are they who you expected, where are they coming from, what are they doing? If your Web site traffic tool requires improvement, we’ll recommend options you may wish to consider to improve the quality and timeliness of information collected.

Site links to:
Dye&Durham e-service
Aegent Energy Advisors Inc.
Ventext LoanTransact ™

[Viva_La_Revolution]

74. Verant (sp?)

sells to DOD

[deminks]

79. voice recognition - sorts on key words to fit the response.

[globalvillage]

80. Verint

http://www.verint.com/corporate/index.cfm

[Viva_La_Revolution]

91. good. cause Verant is the company that created EverQuest

on line game that 3 people in my house play all the time.

[TayTay]

94. Hoovers snapshot on Verint

http://www.hoovers.com/verint-systems/--ID__105671--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml

website: http://www.verintsystems.com/corporate/index.cfm

Formerly known as Comverse Infosys.

In brief, from their PR releases:
About Verint Systems Inc.
Verint® Systems Inc., headquartered in Melville, New York, is a leading provider of analytic software-based solutions for communications interception, networked video security and business intelligence. Verint software, which is used by over 1,000 organizations in over 50 countries worldwide, generates actionable intelligence through the collection, retention and analysis of voice, fax, video, email, Internet and data transmissions from multiple communications networks. Verint is a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT). Visit us at our website www.verint.com.

[Twist_U_Up]

103. Interesting

http://www.verint.com/lawful_interception/index.cfm
Verint Communications Interception Solutions


Verint Communications Interception Solutions help government and law enforcement agencies neutralize threats from terrorists and criminals who exploit today’s communications networks.

Verint Communications Interception Solutions help extract the most important information from voice and data collected over virtually any type of network. This actionable intelligence helps organizations rapidly detect and address security threats and build evidence for legal prosecution.

Verint offers a comprehensive, integrated portfolio of interception, monitoring, and analytic solutions. Our solutions are ETSI and CALEA compliant and work with virtually any type of network, content, application, or service. And our worldwide presence positions us to address new challenges and technologies as they emerge, providing our customers with solutions that help them achieve their objectives.

That’s why communications service providers, law enforcement, and government agencies worldwide rely on Verint to help deter terrorism, prevent crime, and protect lives and assets.



STAR-GATE supports VoIP and Broadband Services
STAR-GATE complies with new FCC Ruling, which requires certain broadband and VoIP providers to accommodate wiretaps. Click here to read FCC ruling.

[Marie26]

195. "communications interception"

Isn't that exactly what the NSA spying program is?

[Sydnie]

77. all new software for telecommunications have built in back doors

for the government

[MelissaB]

82. Just like our voting machines

:(

[Sydnie]

83. Ding ding ding!!!

That sure is a way that the software could be used across platform. Imagine ... they now not only know what party we are registered to but how we vote ... not just on candidates but on any local issue brought to the ballot. Imagine all the people voting on marriage/gay issues last election alone?

[deminks]

88. No wonder Bushco calls this a vital tool. nt.

[coffeenap]

86. Found this: don't know if it helps: SAIC and ES&S:

"SAIC is now contracted by Election Systems & Software to handle the security aspect of their voting machines. ES&S is widely understood to have helped rig the Nov 2, 2004 election that illegitimately brought Bush back to power since their voting machines' results contrasted with exit polls."

http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/malfy.html#saic

SAIC is also connected to Bectel, btw

[MelissaB]

100. and one from the other thread:

Diebold has ties to ChoicePoint and SAIC

ChoicePoint has ties to electronic voting vendors, e.g. CP has a data mining alliance with SAIC, and SAIC wrote wrote voting system security software for Diebold. It is untenable that a truly free country would permit the obvious conflicts-of interest inherit in the nexus between these entities...

Lots more, but it's a freaking PDF that I don't know how to copy and paste.

http://www.wheresthepaper.org/CEPN_Centralized_Voter_Reg_1.pdf

[starroute]

122. SAIC

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=17

But SAIC's biggest source of income is surveillance especially for the United States spy agencies: it is reportedly the largest recipient of contracts from the National Security Agency (NSA) and one of the top five contractors to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Some 5,000 employees (or one in eight employees) have security clearances. Beyster himself has one of the highest top-secret clearances of any civilian in the country. "We are a stealth company," Keith Nightingale, a former Army special ops officer, told a magazine named Business 2.0. "We're everywhere, but almost never seen."

Today two of SAIC's most valuable products are: TeraText and Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) data-mining programs that are used by intelligence agencies to sift the immense volumes of data they now collect by monitoring phone calls, faxes, e-mails, and other types of electronic communications.

[Sydnie]

127. Holy shit! These are former special ops guys?

they are black bagging us and have been for a while!

[EVDebs]

235. "Former" ? Once in, they don't leave.

They shred the Constitution knowing they can get RFIDs on OBL, but instead they put them on law-abiding US dissenters and wrap themselves in the flag while doing it. They were called the 'crazies in the basement' in Tim Weiner's book Blank Check. Check it out, it got him a Pulitzer.

[RazzleDazzle]

158. SAIC also has major ties to the CIA -- lots of staff is former CIA

etc.

As I said upthread, employee-owned so that there's no SEC reporting requirements and no other laws or regulations "corporations" have to follow.

[EVDebs]

236. Had a major ID theft lately, so somebody knows about these guys

Break-In At SAIC Risks ID Theft
Computers Held Personal Data on Employee-Owners

By Griff Witte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 12, 2005; Page E01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17506-2005Feb11.html

Looks like someone's playing games with these guys and the public too. Can't tell the good guys from the bad guy's anymore. If SAIC was doing unconstitutional spying domestically...wow, the irony is just TOO MUCH ! Don't you think ?

So our 'former' spys are being spied upon. Makes me glad to be a nobody.

The global sigmoidoscope !

[fooj]

184. Really? Enter Dianne Feinstein.

Hmmmmmmmm...

The Bechtel connection.

[The Witch]

118. Is this a quote? Was this said by Risen?

???

[Sydnie]

119. Yes, Risen said that on the show n/t

[The Witch]

121. aw FUCK. n/t

[fooj]

181. This is why, IMO.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1665.htm
<snip>
The desire for these freshly empowered PNAC men to extend American hegemony
by force of arms across the globe has been there since day one of the Bush
administration, and is in no small part a central reason for the Florida
electoral battle in 2000. Note that while many have said that Gore and Bush
are ideologically identical, Mr. Gore had no ties whatsoever to the fellows
at PNAC. George W. Bush had to win that election by any means necessary,
and PNAC signatory Jeb Bush was in the perfect position to ensure the rise
to prominence of his fellow imperialists. Desire for such action, however,
is by no means translatable into workable policy. Americans enjoy their
comforts, but don't cotton to the idea of being some sort of Neo-Rome.

On September 11th, the fellows from PNAC saw a door of opportunity open
wide before them, and stormed right through it.
<snip>

4 letters...PNAC

The blueprint. The signatory.

Peace.

[Supersedeas]

233. uh oh!

[TayTay]

84. ChoicePoint at a glance

http://www.choicepoint.net/industry/all_products.html

All affilated companies.

[Sydnie]

85. RFID chips

So small they can be woven into money!

Don't let your newborns out of your sight!

[RazzleDazzle]

160. And that's another reason I don't trust vaccinations now

and would not allow myself to be vaccinated for any pending "epidemic." I'll just die instead, if it comes to that. Really. I feel that strongly about it. RFID's are, I believe in my heart, the "mark of the beast."

(For those who, like me, aren't particularly interested in the Bible except that it does contain some valid prophecy.)

[im10ashus]

87. OH HELL!!!

These small chips can be woven into money. WOW!!

[bleever]

90. Outsourcing ports = outsourcing NSA surveillance capabilities!

Calling HUGH!!11!1!!

[Sydnie]

98. You said what I was trying to say down thead - but so much better

than I did.

[deminks]

92. Bringing up security issues with foreign intelligence gaining access.

Just like the ports issue.

[Sydnie]

93. He just scared me with the intelligence community and flight

manifests and such.

[bleever]

96. Risen equates * admin with "men of zeal without understanding"

cited by Louis Brandeis as the gravest threat to liberty.


wow.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

97. Done with the best intentions, my ass! That goes hand in hand with

* being like Atticus Finch!

[fooj]

170. I think it's his way of getting the word out.

I thought the same thing when I heard him say that. However, in order to get any type of info out...I guess you've got to learn how to play the game. Honestly, I don't think for one moment that Risen thinks Little Lord Pissypants has done ANYTHING with the best of intentions. Just my 2 cents...

Peace.:hi:

[dzika]

99. VIDEO - Widespread Surveillance Testimony

Russell Tice was one of Risen's sources. He testified that NSA programs involved "millions of Americans".

broadcast on February 14, 2006

VIDEO - NSA Whistleblower Testimony Alleges Widespread Domestic Spying

http://www.wakahiru-me.com/media/vid/cnn/cnn_pl_whistleblowers_kucinich_tice_060214b_464x260.flv&width=464&height=260">
http://www.wakahiru-me.com/media/vid/cnn/cnn_pl_whistleblowers_kucinich_tice_060214b_464x260.flv&width=464&height=260">Video in Streaming Flash format...


On February 14th, a former NSA employee, Russell Tice, testified before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations. Tice told the committee that he was concerned that undisclosed domestic spying programs were far more widespread than the recently exposed Bush/NSA warrantless wiretap program.

One or more still classified "Special Access" surveillance program may be monitoring the communications of "millions of Americans". While Tice could not share classified details of the program(s), he believes that the Constitution and FISA laws are being violated.

This UPI article has more information about the widespread domestic surveillance programs.

http://veredictum.com/node/99

[Patsy Stone]

108. Look who's here!

Nice to see you. :hi:

[bleever]

109. Excellent.

Thanks, d.

[jarnocan]

114. so many connections

Iran Contra, spying, vote FRAUD, Saudis! OIL!

[Emit]

126. I saw that the other day! This is a must look see.

Thanks for posting.

[proud patriot]

182. Thank you

:-)

[Patsy Stone]

107. Here's O'Harrow's WaPo article about Global Information Group

Lots and lots of info in here and mentions Choicepoint, TIA and Bell's connections to the good folks at LexisNexis. I looked through these threads (ok, not thoroughly) and I didn't see it posted. Hope it sheds some light.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36853-2004Oct15.html

Bahamas Firm Screens Personal Data To Assess Risk
Operation Avoids U.S. Privacy Rules

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 16, 2004; Page A01


<snip>

The system has cost almost $100 million. But it has not been turned on because it sparked protests from lawmakers and civil liberties
advocates, who said it intruded too deeply into the lives of ordinary Americans. The Bush administration put off testing until after the election.

Now the choreographer of that program, a former intelligence official named Ben H. Bell III, is taking his ideas to a private company offshore, where he and his colleagues plan to use some of the same concepts, technology and contractors to assess people for risk, outside the reach of U.S. regulators, according to documents and interviews.

Bell's new employer, the Bahamas-based Global Information Group Ltd., intends to amass large databases of international records and analyze them in the coming years for corporations, government agencies and other information services. One of the first customers is information giant LexisNexis Group, one of the main contractors on the government system that was known until recently as the second generation of the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening Program, or CAPPS II. The program is now known as Secure Flight.

<snip>

Legal and privacy specialists said the company raises troubling new questions about the ability of computers -- in both the government and private sectors -- to collect and analyze personal information for homeland security. These critics said Global's initiative echoes the aims of the troubled government passenger-screening system, as well as another controversial program at the Defense Department that was shut down by Congress called Total Information Awareness.

<snip>

You know I've always suspected eventually they were going to put a chip in my head... :scared:

[rodeodance]

111. so, is TIA alive and well?

......Legal and privacy specialists said the company raises troubling new questions about the ability of computers -- in both the government and private sectors -- to collect and analyze personal information for homeland security. These critics said Global's initiative echoes the aims of the troubled government passenger-screening system, as well as another controversial program at the Defense Department that was shut down by Congress called Total Information Awareness.

[Patsy Stone]

115. And living comfortably

in the Bahamas.

See bleever's post below also. :hi:, rodeodance!

[bleever]

125. So...WaPo and NYT staffers save the world? Or at least stand up for Truth

Justice, and the American Way?


Not to mention Tim Russert, "GE employee/American journalist" (and how's that for a soul struggle? (Good luck, Tim!!)).

[Patsy Stone]

128. It's always the quiet ones

Isn't it?

And, poor Timmeh... He's got a lot of work to do.

[Marie26]

204. "Amass large databases of international records"

This could explain why CP has the huge contract to collect information on Latin American residents - CP collects it & passes it to "Global Information Group" for inclusion in the program?

[Patsy Stone]

213. I think everything feeds through these people

and that all the other "companies" are almost fronts, now, for this data sharing nightmare. Maybe they didn't begin that way, but that's sure the way it seems at this point. All the cronies form together to create the "company" Congress forbade, at the behest of the administration and intelligence officials. The fact that if they do it offshore they can collect more information, which it can now sell since it's not a US gov't agency, is a fortunate bonus. And, I do mean "fortune"-ate.
:scared:

ed: gram.

[Marie26]

214. Yes, I agree

All these connections feed back into each other. The more you look at it, the more ChoicePoint, Seisient, Lexis, SAIC, Acxiom & "Global Info Group" all seem like the same basic entity. They all have overlapping data-mining technologies, & overlapping contracts through DHS. And they're really at this point all fronts for the federal gov. They'll do what the gov. isn't "allowed" to do. Sometimes it seems like the company was created especially for the contracts. (especially so for ChoicePoint & "Global Info.") The Bush Adm. can develop any survaillence tech. they want w/o worrying about the 4th Am., because it's done by a private party. There's no limit to what they can do.

This also seems to be to connect back to "usual suspects" of Halliburton & Bechtel - to whom we contracted out Iraq wars, and FEMA failures. They're just a Mafia. Common M.O. - take power, take what used to be done by gov. agencies, outsource it to a "usual suspect", skim some money off the top, & do a half-assed job. It's a government chop-shop. In this case, it's a two-fer because they get the money & the freedom to create what would be illegal programs.

[bleever]

112. One DU link on outsourcing of T.I.A. to enter that angle of things:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=509714

[The Witch]

113. K&R, I don't have CNBC but just from the OP & threads

I can tell that there is a puzzle we have to put together here. Has anyone followed up on the "overlapping technologies" piece that lala mentioned in the OP? What can we do with all these co's that we can't do with just one?

I look forward to lala's research & reporting on this.

[The Witch]

116. "1company... is involved in another business all together"

said OP, which one was this? It's supposed to give us pause. Just reminding.

[Sydnie]

132. Very good question n/t

[ekelly]

225. AllTel?

AllTel is a telecommunications company in Little Rock, Arkansas.

[peace_on_earth]

120. Maybe a dupe but wasn't Wesley Clarke on Axciom's board? n/t

[MelissaB]

123. Looks like it

Wesley Clark Resigns From Acxiom Board of Directors

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – October 9, 2003 – Acxiom® Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) today announced that retired U.S. Army General Wesley K. Clark has resigned from the Acxiom Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Company said Clark originally had hoped to fulfill his duties as a Company Director but that the growing demands of seeking the U.S. presidency had made that impractical.

Acxiom Chairman Charles D. Morgan offered deep gratitude to Clark for his many contributions to the board. Clark had resigned his role as a consultant for Acxiom the day he announced his presidential campaign.

Clark had been a member of the Acxiom board since December 2001.

About Acxiom
Acxiom Corporation (Nasdaq:ACXM) integrates data, services, and technology to create and deliver customer and information management solutions for many of the largest, most respected companies in the world. The core components of Acxiom's innovative solutions are Customer Data Integration (CDI) technology, data, database services, IT outsourcing, consulting and analytics, and privacy leadership. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with locations throughout the United States, and in the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Japan. For more information, visit www.acxiom.com

Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corporation.


Link: http://www.acxiom.com/default.aspx?ID=2312&DisplayID=18

[peace_on_earth]

129. I loved Clarke until I read he was on the board of Acxiom

Scared the crap out of me. Made me rethink everything, if he was on the board of a datamining company.

(Sorry, probably misspelled the first time.)

[barbaraann]

134. Yup. It's scared me, too.

http://www.counterpunch.org/donahue10012003.html

[fooj]

173. Welcome to DU! Love your screen name.

Peace.

[Emit]

124. ChoicePoint Ashcroft Connection

Palast on ChoicePoint

Fear for Sale
By Greg Palast

September 11, 2001, was Derek Smith’s lucky day. There were all those pieces of people to collect—tubes marked “DM” (for “Disaster Manhattan”)—from which his company would extract DNA for victim identification, work for which the firm would receive $12 million from New York City’s government.

~snip~

... until a “little birdie” faxed me what appeared to be confidential pages from ChoicePoint’s contract with Mr. John Ashcroft’s Justice Department. A no-bid $67-million deal offered profiles on any citizen in half a dozen nations. The choice of citizens to spy on caught my eye. While the September 11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, ChoicePoint’s menu offered records on Venezuelans, Brazilians, Nicaraguans, Argentinians and Mexicans.

~snip~

There are glimmers of ill doings already. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Washington, sued to obtain Ashcroft-ChoicePoint documents. The contract—no-bid, of course—remains so secret, even its true cost and title has been, extraordinarily, withheld. But EPIC found several gems, including the gushing notes of a government spook who requested that agents think of “far-out, funky” ways to use data.

More disconcerting was a handwritten note in government files recommending ChoicePoint for more work because the company “is very responsive to Marshals Service and has made enhancements to their public information database…to meet our needs.” Uh, oh. If ChoicePoint obtained special info for Big Brother, then officialdom crossed a legal line. ...

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/fear_for_sale/

ASHCROFT Lobbying client: ChoicePoint:

John Ashcroft and ChoicePoint
Submitted by Vicky Perry on Sat, 02/04/2006 - 5:32pm.
It's your worst nightmare. Ex-Attorney General Ashcroft's lobbying group has client: ChoicePoint. (ChoicePoint owns DBT. DBT authored those "scrub lists" used in Florida in the 2000 election.) Turns out the marriage between Ashcroft and Choicepoint is long-standing.

Ashcroft stakes out lucrative new ground


Less than three months after registering as a lobbyist, former Attorney General John Ashcroft has banked at least $269,000 from just four clients, including Choicepoint. He appears to be developing a practice centered on firms that capitalize on homeland security technology.

ChoicePoint is a "data broker" that sells credit reports and other personal information to the FBI and other federal agencies. Choicepoint bought DBT in 2000, right after DBT produced the scrub list that suppressed Democratic votes giving Bush the edge to "win" Florida in 2000. Florida election officials have been criticized, by many critics of the 2000 election, for knowingly using inaccurate data, and for racial discrimination. Allegations include listing voters as felons for alleged crimes said to have been committed several years in the future. In addition, people who had been convicted of a felony in a different state and had their rights restored by said state, were not allowed to vote despite the restoration of their rights. "It's not OUR fault", says Choicepoint.

Chuck Jones, a spokesman for ChoicePoint, said the firm hired the Ashcroft Group to help gain entrée for its new law enforcement-oriented products to the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security....

http://midhudsonalliance.com/node/454

Similar info here about Ashcroft's lobbying firm/Choicepoint: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0601100146jan10,1,5202568.story?page=2&cset=true&ctrack=1

[Sydnie]

130. so, he wasn't comfortable with approving things when he was

on the inside, but he sure doesn't shrink from making a buck from what they are doing from the outside huh?

Wonder how deep he is in the ivestigation of internet porn?

[AntiFascist]

133. A crazy thought comes to mind...

using data for CIA, NSA, possibly special ops purposes. Focus on Mexicans and other central/south Americans. Could they be building an army of storm troopers? I read somewhere else about a Mexican army being used to control riots. There's also the Rex84 camp rumors, and the one in San Bernadino with UN personnel??

[leftchick]

150. That is not a crazy thought

I have been thinking this is why our borders are so porous.

[Marie26]

205. An army of drafted illegal aliens?

Is that what you're saying?

[AntiFascist]

221. There was a post somewhere...

about the Mexican Army actually be used in case there was rioting.

I know that the LA (Rodney King) Riots really scared a lot of people. From my vantage point during the riots I can tell you that it was a lot more widespread across the city than what was being reported on the news.

[starroute]

135. A thread a year ago covered a little of this stuff

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3137074

It seems to be mostly about right-wing PR firm Creative Response Concepts, which was listed somewhere as a contact for Lexis-Nexis. Only a little on O'Harrow and the surveillance stuff -- but I still thought I'd throw the link up here for whatever it's worth.

[dzika]

137. Video Clips from Russert NSA Show

Video of Tim Russert Interview with Tice and O'Harrow

Various clips from tonight's broadcast. About 24 minutes.

Video in Windows Media format...

[MelissaB]

154. Thanks, dzika!

:yourock:

[im10ashus]

162. Awesome!

:yourock:

[DemReadingDU]

163. Thank you! n/t

[proud patriot]

185. Thanks for that one too

[Marie26]

206. Thank you!

:yourock:

[jillan]

141. Check this out! - Choicepoint and Diebold

c. ChoicePoint’s Ties to E-Voting Vendors
ChoicePoint has ties to electronic voting
vendors, e.g. ChoicePoint has a joint data
mining alliance with SAIC (Scientific Applications
International Corporation), and
SAIC wrote voting system security software
for Diebold. It is untenable that a truly free
country would permit the obvious conflictsof-
interest inherent in the nexus between
these three entities (ChoicePoint, SAIC &
Diebold)—who together—control election
software security programs, e-voting
equipment and personal data files on each
citizen. Whether this alliance is strategic or
merely one of convenience, where are the
safeguards to assure our citizenry that abuse
cannot result?

http://www.wheresthepaper.org/CEPN_Centralized_Voter_Reg_1.pdf

Thanks to MelissaB for finding this.:thumbsup:

[Emit]

142. Armitage - ChoicePoint/Sell of Seisint to LexisNexis/Matrix - Cheney link

Don't know how credible this is -- will try to verify, but is interesting with some history of ChoicePoint:

ChoicePoint is much more than a corporate safe-house or pack-station for
Dick Armitage. And it isn't historically significant because he worked there
prior to taking the State Department appointment as Powell's deputy. Just
the opposite - Armitage's place in 911 history is assured because he was a
director of ChoicePoint. ChoicePoint is the explanation of everything and
nothing, the means justifying the means, founded on the sort of motives that
turn some men, when they dwell on it, into hermits or existentialists.
ChoicePoint and 911 were inseperable, "joined at the hip." It is no
exagerration to say that ChoicePoint has determined the country's
leadership, sacrificed thousands of innocent lives, moved the country into a
police state and paved the road to war.

AN AGGRESSIVE TAKEOVER

~snip~

Rozar started-up CDB Infotek "as an insurance investigations business. He
foresaw a growing marketplace for computerized databases that would automate
the process for investigators. Equifax's Insurance Services Group bought a
majority stake in the business in 1996, with Rozar staying on as president
and chief executive. "The company was later spun off as part of ChoicePoint
Inc., a publicly traded company. He resigned when he sold his remaining
interest this year."1

It was reported that Rozar "engineered the sale of 70% of the business two
years ago for more than $32 million, and sold his remaining interest this
year for an undisclosed amount." (Unfortunately, he only lived long enough
to spend a little of it - a $100,000 contribution to the Republican Party.)

Two years later, ChoicePoint purchased Database Technologies (DBT). This
company, based in Boca Raton, was founded by Hank Asher. The FBI had accused
Asher of hob-nobbing with drug peddlers from the Bahamas. The Bureau went so
far as to cancel its CBT data management contract for this very reason... That
was a hint that something might not be quite right at ChoicePoint. It
wasn't CDBInfotek anymore - ChoicePoint was an Orwellian octopoid in the
works.

Cont'd: http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:2iMM4ofwshgJ:thewebfairy.com/911/constantine/part11.htm+choicepoint+cia+contracts&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9


2nd article same link:

July 16, 2004 Friday Broward Metro Edition

HEADLINE: BOCA'S SEISINT SOLD IN $775 MILLION DEAL
BYLINE: Ian Katz Business Writer

As founder and a major shareholder of Seisint Inc., a Boca Raton company that makes a counter-terrorism computer program, Asher will make about $250 million from the sale of Seisint to LexisNexis, a subsidiary of information services giant Reed Elsevier Group. Started in 1998, Seisint now has more than 300 employees, most of them in the Boca Raton office. The company also has offices in London and in Reston, Va.

The $775 million deal, announced Wednesday, culminates a remarkable comeback for Asher, a onetime cocaine smuggler who now dedicates much of his time and money to cancer research.

~snip~

A Seisint database tool called Matrix has grabbed the attention of the Bush administration. Matrix, which Asher showed off to Vice President Dick Cheney and the heads of the FBI and Homeland Security during a visit to the White House last year, can quickly analyze data on millions of people. ... "The tools and technologies that were developed by Seisint because of 9-11 should prove to be invaluable to Lexis and to national security," Asher said.

~snip~

Another Seisint product, Accurint, gives online access of public records to help government agencies and businesses with due diligence, identity and pre-employment screening.

~snip!

"I believe it was a fair price to us, but an extraordinary deal for Lexis," Asher said. "When they open Seisint's products up to their distribution, I believe they will immediately more than double the current sales of Seisint and more than triple the profits. This makes Seisint the deal of the century for Lexis."

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:2iMM4ofwshgJ:thewebfairy.com/911/constantine/part11.htm+choicepoint+cia+contracts&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9

O'Harrow's account of that Asher meeting with Cheney -- Asher was accompanied by JEB BUSH!

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 21, 2004; Page A12


One day in January 2003, an entrepreneur from Florida named Hank Asher walked into the Roosevelt Room of the White House to demonstrate a counterterrorism tool he invented after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Soon to be called Matrix, it was a computer program capable of examining records of billions of people in seconds.

Accompanied by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the state's top police official, Asher showed his creation to Vice President Cheney, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and Tom Ridge, who was about to be sworn in as secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security, according to people at the meeting.

The demonstration startled everyone in the room who had not seen it before. Almost as quickly as questions could be asked, the system generated long reports on a projection screen: names, addresses, driver license photos, links to associates, even ethnicity. At one point, an Asher associate recalled, Ridge turned toward Cheney and nudged him with an elbow, apparently to underscore his amazement at the power of what they were seeing. A few months later, Ridge approved an $8 million "cooperative agreement" from his department to help states link to the computer system.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43608-2004May20.html


Edited to add another layer in the history of ChoicePoint:

Ex-NYSE Official Kenneth Langone Sued
Friday December 3, 3:37 am ET
By Coralie Carlson, Associated Press Writer
Former NYSE Official Kenneth Langone Sued for $1.8 Billion


MIAMI (AP) -- Former New York Stock Exchange official Kenneth Langone and others are being sued for $1.8 billion by a businessman who claims the Home Depot co-founder bad-mouthed him and his database company to potential buyers when the company was for sale earlier this year.
Hank Asher, of Boca Raton, also claims that Langone, an investment banker tied to former NYSE chairman Dick Grasso's controversial $187.5 million pay package, tried to shut him out of the data management industry.

~snip~

Seisint was sold in October for $775 million to Reed Elsevier PLC, which owns Lexis-Nexis. But that price was down from previous offers of about $1 billion, said James Carroll, Asher's attorney... Langone, a board member of potential Seisint bidder ChoicePoint, called other potential bidders and "maliciously defamed and disparaged Seisint and Asher," according to the lawsuit. Langone told the bidders that "the books were cooked" and that "Seisint was run by 'bad people,'" in hopes of driving down the price of the company, the lawsuit claims.

~snip~

Langone chaired the NYSE's compensation committee from 1999 to 2003 when Grasso was awarded a $187.5 million pay package that was roundly criticized as excessive. New York's attorney general sued Langone and Grasso in May, claiming they misled the NYSE board of directors about Grasso's pay package and, in some cases, bullied board members into approving it.

Langone is on the boards of ChoicePoint, General Electric Co., Home Depot Inc., Yum! Brands Inc. and Unifi Inc.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:Lu6QIB4hX5YJ:biz.yahoo.com/ap/041203/langone_lawsuit_2.html+Kenneth+Langone+ChoicePoint&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

[Emit]

143. LexisNexis had breach too, like Choicept last year: commonality - Asher

Troubled firms linked by history

By MATT KEMPNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/11/05
Breaches at rival information brokers that compromised personal records on thousands of consumers have something in common: a Florida businessman who founded two units involved in the companies' troubles.

LexisNexis announced Wednesday that personal records on 32,000 consumers may have been compromised. Alpharetta-based ChoicePoint caused an even bigger stir last month over news that identity thieves may have viewed its sensitive information on 145,000 people.

The link between the two giant data brokers is Hank Asher, an entrepreneur who founded businesses that became part of each company and that used apparently similar technology marketed to similar customers.

Asher founded DBT Online, which was sold to ChoicePoint in 2000 and is now is part of an embattled unit dealing with fallout from the breach made public in February.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:_1pgLnTdiMwJ:www.ajc.com/news/content/business/0305/11seisint.html+Kenneth+Langone+ChoicePoint&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11

More info on Asher -- shady background:

TALLAHASSEE - In an attempt to identify potential terrorists, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is using the services of a former drug smuggler turned millionaire ... Hank Asher

~snip~

He also has become a close friend to former FDLE director James T. "Tim" Moore.

~snip~

Asher was listed as a witness in drug trials from Gainesville to Chicago, and once was represented by famed attorney F. Lee Bailey. Documents filed by prosecutors in Chicago said Asher was a pilot and former smuggler who lived on Great Harbour near Cistern Cay, a small island airport once used by smugglers. After severing ties with DBT Online, Asher created other companies and grew even closer to law enforcement officials.

In 1999, he merged two companies into Seisint Inc. The new company supplies Accurint, a database that provides detailed information on individuals. Seisint also supplies specialized information to law enforcement agencies around the country. FDLE began doing business with Asher's first company in 1993. It is clear from 1993 records that FDLE officials knew they were dealing with a drug smuggler. Some officers questioned whether Asher's company could be trusted. No additional background check was conducted in 2001, when the relationship grew closer.

Seisint now has two contracts with the state government, both awarded without competitive bidding. ...One of them, completed Friday by FDLE, will pay Seisint $1.6-million to help create an antiterrorism network. The other is with the state Department of Management Services, the agency that supplies administrative services for state government.

~snip~

Paul Cameron, president of Seisint, said he was impressed with Asher. Cameron, a former officer with Accenture, the accounting firm, joined Seisint three years ago and said he was unaware of Asher's past brush with the law.

~snip~

Questions about Asher and his relationship to Moore and others at FDLE are being raised as Bush and members of the Cabinet interview applicants to replace Moore, who has had the job since 1987. ...Daryl McLaughlin, interim director at FDLE and a finalist to succeed Moore, said Asher has not charged FDLE for many of his services and has allowed them to demonstrate it to other states and even Vice President Dick Cheney.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:1Qcb2MTzjqIJ:www.sptimes.com/2003/08/02/State/FDLE_hires_former_dru.shtml+Asher+Cheney+Matrix&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11





Edited to add that Acxiom had a security breach, too (unrealted to the two noted above):

Chris Hoofnagle, associate director with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, noted another consumer-data company, Acxiom suffered a security breach as well. That occurred in 2003.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:30l-ANkDTU0J:money.cnn.com/2005/02/17/technology/personaltech/choicepoint/+Chris+Hoofnagle,+associate+director+with+the+Electronic+Privacy+Information+Center,+noted+another+consumer-data+company,+Acxiom+(Research),+suffered+a+security+breach+as+well.+That+occurred+in+2003.&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

And, and interesting study as to these data mining co.s' accuracy:

Executive Summary


This study examined the quality of data provided by ChoicePoint and Acxiom, two of the largest consumer data brokers in the United States, as well as their responsiveness to consumer requests – and found significant areas of concern in both areas.


100% of the reports given out by ChoicePoint had at least one error in them. Error rates for basic biographical data (including information people had to submit in order to receive their reports) fared almost as badly: Acxiom had an error rate of 67% and ChoicePoint had an error rate of 73%. In other words, the majority of participants had at least one such significant error in their reported biographical data from each data broker.

http://www.privacyactivism.org/docs/DataAggregatorsStudy.html

[Nothing Without Hope]

145. NYT article from 2/25/06 on data miniing and TIA- LINK & EXCERPT:

The article also mentions many private companies who have been developing the data-mining tools the NSA wants.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/25/technology/25data.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=print
February 25, 2006

Taking Spying to Higher Level, Agencies Look for More Ways to Mine Data

By JOHN MARKOFF

(snip - a long article, 3 web pages)

Much of the recent work on data mining has been aimed at even more sophisticated applications. The National Security Agency has invested billions in computerized tools for monitoring phone calls around the world — not only logging them, but also determining content — and more recently in trying to design digital vacuum cleaners to sweep up information from the Internet.

Last September, the N.S.A. was granted a patent for a technique that could be used to determine the physical location of an Internet address — another potential category of data to be mined. The technique, which exploits the tiny time delays in the transmission of Internet data, suggests the agency's interest in sophisticated surveillance tasks like trying to determine where a message sent from an Internet address in a cybercafe might have originated.

An earlier N.S.A. patent, in 1999, focused on a software solution for generating a list of topics from computer-generated text. Such a capacity hints at the ability to extract the content of telephone conversations automatically. That might permit the agency to mine millions of phone conversations and then select a handful for human inspection.

(snip)

In 2003, Virage, a Silicon Valley company, began supplying a voice transcription product that recognized and logged the text of television programming for government and commercial customers. Under perfect conditions, the system could be 95 percent accurate in capturing spoken text. Such technology has potential applications in monitoring phone conversations as well.

(snip)

[Nothing Without Hope]

146. Related 2/23 post on how the DOD secretly continued the cancelled

data-mining program:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2128768
thread title (2-23-06 LBN): DOD secretly continued intel program (TIA "data mining" program)
Comment/excerpt: UPI story. “WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A controversial counter-terrorism program has quietly continued despite being theoretically ended two years ago. … The Department of Defense's Total Awareness Information program was halted by lawmakers more than two years ago amid outcries from privacy advocates. However, it was stopped in name only and has quietly continued within the intelligence agency now fending off charges that it has violated the privacy of U.S. citizens, the National journal reported Thursday. The TIA program developed technologies to predict terrorist attacks by mining government databases and the personal records of people in the United States. Its research was moved from the Pentagon's research-and-development agency to another group that builds technologies primarily for the National Security Agency, the National Journal said.”

[rman]

147. surveillance, software and backdoors: PTECH software

Ptech is (or actually was, they've renamed themselves to "Go Agile" - www.goagile.com) a small software firm that makes highly specialized software that is used by large corporations and government agencies to monitor data traffic on their computer networks - including inter-business traffic - for the purpose of detecting anything that is going wrong, or is somehow out of the ordinary. This can be used to optimize business processes, but also to detect suspicious financial transactions. Another big name in that field is "Promis", which has been around since the 70's or so.
More recent incarnations of this type of software can be instructed to automatically intervene or take action in some other way.
Ptech is financed by Saudis with financial ties to terrorism.

Indira Singh testimony and interviews, details about Ptech:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=344x4

IS: (...) their financier, their funders, their investors, were all Saudis. (...) one Saudi has been placed on the US Terror List, October 12, 2001.
(...)someone who has been placed on the US Terror List is key funder, angel investor, to a company whose software is utilized at the highest levels of almost every government and military and defense organization in this country, including the Secret Service, the FBI, the Department of Defense, the House of Representatives, the Treasury Department, the IRS, the US Navy, the US Air Force, and, last but not least, the Federal Aviation Administration.
(...)
they were in use at IBM, of course, and the top accounting firms, and even in the FBI, in Miter.
Miter is a large company that does specialized technology for defense and intelligence.
(...)
not only was Yassan Khadi was an investor but that a Yacob Mertza was on the board of directors and he had been the subject of Operation Green Quest, many of his Herndon, Virginia vehicles and companies,and financing companies, had been raided in March 2002. And, again, that Mertza was on the board of directors.
(...)
"...(Ptech) is a CIA clandestine op on the level of Iran-Contra. And I have reason to believe this because Care International that was mentioned in one of the slides is a renamed version of Alkhifah which was the funding arm for WTC 93. Prior to Alkhifah it was called Maktab Al-Khidamat, which is the funding arm for the Afghani Mujahideen. It was how the monies got to Osama bin Laden through the Pakistani ISI."


CBS4Boston
Dec 9, 2002
The I Team Investigates P-Tech
http://wbz4.com/iteam/local_story_343143121.html
How Much did the FBI know about P Tech?
http://www.wbz4.com/iteam/local_story_343145212.html

regarding "Promis"
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/inslaw.html

FBI investigates Ptech
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3068377/

"Profits of War" by Ari Ben Menashe page 130-132

[jarnocan]

149. Ptech link- was used by FAA on 911/also Rumsfield-internet control?

"Ptech (now Go Agile) was the company that supplied the enterprise architecture software for most of the federal government and its military agencies. This included the Whitehouse, Secret Service, Air Force and FAA.
Ptech was owned and funded by Saudi terror financiers with reported links to the Bush administration."
http://freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=550&Disp=15&Trace=on many links from main stream media and a Dateline probe on this page. Some other interesting information on DHS director Chertoff-who has represented clients in the past with ties to Osama Bin Laden and apparently were helping to fund terrorist. No conflict of interest there?

I don't know- there is so much information-connections- real ones. Like so much of what goes on with the BU**SH**Inc. if anything there is TOO much valid information- grounds for impeachment. For many people in the US- impeachment over a BJ is about all they can handle- all this is overload to them and threrefore meaningless- so it isn't marketable-in a political sense. If you can't sell it to them perhaps it is all useless?

http://freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=20280 interesting article about Rumsfield's comments on the internet....

"The Pentagon’s strategy for taking over the internet and controlling the free flow of information has already been chronicled in a recently declassified report, “The Information Operations Roadmap”; is a window into the minds of those who see free speech as dangerous as an “enemy weapons-system”.
The Pentagon is aiming for “full spectrum dominance” of the Internet. Their objective is to manipulate public perceptions, quash competing points of view, and perpetuate a narrative of American generosity and good-will....
The Associated Press reported recently that the US government conducted a massive simulated attack on the Internet called “Cyber-Storm”. The wargame was designed, among other things, to “respond to misinformation campaigns and activist calls by internet bloggers, online diarists whose ‘Web logs” include political rantings and musings about current events”.

Is this site considered reliable? they have many valid links?

[seemslikeadream]

153. PTECH RAID/INVESTIGATION Compiled by Indira Singh

http://www.justicefor911.org/iiA7_PtechPress_112204.php

Part 2 Interview with Indira Singh re: PTech
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=125x48372

whistleblower' Indira Singh by Dr Janet Parker: The Ptech Story
http://www.snowshoefilms.com/911coverup.html

Second part of an interview with JP Morgan Chase/Ptech whistleblower Indira Singh.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4182589

[Emit]

211. PROMIS- Oliver North used it to track dissidents/domestic emer prog?

Likely it was one of the first, and I remember reading about it in Crossing the Rubicon.

...But the CIA was not the only place where illegal versions of PROMIS cropped up. Canadian documents (held by the House Judiciary Committee and obtained by WIRED) place PROMIS in the hands of various Canadian government agencies. These documents include two letters to Inslaw from Canadian agencies requesting detailed user manuals -- even though Inslaw has never sold PROMIS to Canada. Canadian officials now claim the letters were in error.

~snip~

"Dr. Brian stated during his presentation that all U.S. Intelligence Agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice were then using the PROMIS computer software," Ben Menashe continued. While the credibility of his statements has been questioned, the Israeli government has admitted that Ben Menashe had access to extremely sensitive information during his tenure at the Mossad.

Asked why Israeli intelligence would have been so interested in Inslaw and PROMIS, Ben Menashe said, "PROMIS was a very big thing for us guys, a very, very big thing ... it was probably the most important issue of the '80s because it just changed the whole intelligence outlook. The whole form of intelligence collection changed. This whole thing changed it." PROMIS, Ben Menashe said, was perfect for tracking Palestinians and other political dissidents.

Apparently, Israel was not the only country interested in using PROMIS for internal security purposes. Lt. Col. Oliver North also may have been using the program. According to several intelligence community sources, PROMIS was in use at a 6,100-square-foot command center built on the sixth floor of the Justice Department. According to both a contractor who helped design the center and information disclosed during the Iran-Contra hearings, Oliver North had a similar, but smaller, White House operations room that was connected by computer link to the DOJ's command center.

Using the computers in his command center, North tracked dissidents and potential troublemakers within the United States as part of a domestic emergency preparedness program, commissioned under Reagan's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to sources and published reports. Using PROMIS, sources point out, North could have drawn up lists of anyone ever arrested for a political protest, for example, or anyone who had ever refused to pay their taxes. Compared to PROMIS, Richard Nixon's enemies list or Sen. Joe McCarthy's blacklist look downright crude. This operation was so sensitive that when Rep. Jack Brooks asked North about it during the Iran-Contra hearings, the hearing was immediately suspended pending an executive (secret) conference. When the hearings were reconvened, the issue of North's FEMA dealings was dropped.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/inslaw.html?pg=7&topic=

[wiggs]

228. kick for ptech reference. nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

148. Sounds like THIS is what Russell Tice referred to earlier this month:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x421496
thread title (2-14-06 GD): TICE: There is ANOTHER Ongoing Top-Secret Surveillance Program!
Comment/excerpt: It’s DATA MINING, just like we thought. UPI link – “Russell D. Tice told the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations he has concerns about a ‘special access’ electronic surveillance program that he characterized as far more wide-ranging than the warrentless wiretapping recently exposed by the New York Times but he is forbidden from discussing the program with Congress.”

[DemReadingDU]

152. Transcript for this show?

Does anyone have a transcript for this show that a link could be posted?

Is this show scheduled to be rerun this week?

[im10ashus]

159. I have searched hither and yawn.

And I can't find the transcript. Yet. I will keep digging.

Edit to add:

I did find this link: http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=287&isbn=0743270665&app=appearances_detail&id=21527

[MelissaB]

161. Dzika posted some clips in post #137.

Hope this helps some. I haven't seen a transcript.

[fooj]

176. A list of names...

Cheney, Rumsfeld, Jeb Bush...those three have the PNAC in common.

They've got to have something to do with all of this.

Peace.

[Joanne98]

177. ACLU on MATRIX.........

ACLU Unveils Disturbing New Revelations About MATRIX Surveillance Program (5/20/2004)


Investigation Sought into DHS Role as Funder, Manager of "State Run" Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIAMI--The American Civil Liberties Union today released documents containing disturbing new revelations about the MATRIX database surveillance program, including the fact that it was under the direct managerial control of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and that Florida Governor Jeb Bush gave a personal briefing on the program to Vice President Dick Cheney.

The group also announced that it has written to Nuala O'Connor Kelly, Chief Privacy Officer of DHS, asking her to investigate DHS's role in the Matrix program.

"We were surprised to learn that DHS is playing a central role not only in funding this program, but also in managing it," said Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program. "The federal government's involvement is eerily reminiscent of the Pentagon's 'Total Information Awareness' data-mining program, which was based on the same concept of sorting through everyone's data in an attempt to identify terrorists. Congress shut down TIA, and it should shut down the Matrix as well."

At a news conference today in Miami, the ACLU issued a briefing paper describing the new revelations and their significance, based on documents obtained from public records requests filed in Florida, Georgia, New York, Utah, and with the Justice Department.

"We have long been appalled at Florida's seemingly central role in developing and pushing this intrusive system in which a government file is created on everyone, whether they are a terrorist suspect or completely innocent of any suspicion," said Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida. "But perhaps even more disturbing, this revelation suggests that Florida has been no more than a tool of the federal authorities."

MATRIX (the Multistate Anti-TeRrorism Information eXchange) is the latest data-mining program to emerge from the government. This surveillance system combines information about individuals from government databases and private-sector data companies, and makes that data available for search by government officials to comb through the millions of files in a search for "anomalies" that may be indicative of terrorist or other criminal activity.

According to a document obtained through an ACLU open-records request to the state of New York, DHS in July 2003 approved a request for $8 million for the operation and expansion of the Matrix. However, DHS informed Matrix officials that in exchange for the $8 million, the agency would enter into a "Cooperative Agreement" rather than a grant, under which DHS would "maintain managerial oversight and control" of the Matrix.

In its letter to Kelly, the ACLU asked her to conduct an investigation of how the Matrix operates, what the role of DHS has been, and how it has been utilized by the department.

Another document obtained by the ACLU indicated that Matrix operators sent to federal law enforcement authorities a list of 120,000 names of individuals who had been scored with a high "terrorism quotient." Seisint, the company that operates Matrix, claimed that scores of arrests resulted from the list.

"If this is how our officials are operating in the war against terrorism, it not only raises the chilling prospect that any innocent American could become vulnerable to having their name spit out by some unreliable computer as a suspect, but it fails to inspire confidence in how our nation is being protected against attack," Steinhardt said.

Other documents included Governor Bush's "briefing points" for a meeting on Matrix with Vice President Cheney, at which he sought the Vice President's support for additional federal funds for the program. Other documents show that Governor Bush has personally taken a lead role in selling the program to other states.

The ACLU's White Paper is available online at /privacy/spying/15246pub20040520.html

The letter to Nuala O'Connor Kelly, DHS Chief Privacy Officer, is online at /privacy/spying/15245res20040520.html

A web feature on the Matrix, including the new documents obtained by the ACLU, is online at http://www.aclu.org/matrix

[troubleinwinter]

180. Gonzales, in his cong. testimony, kept refering to

"this program blah blah... this program blah blah...", making it clear that there are other programs. Tice also is convinced of other 'programs', as am I.

[stickdog]

202. KIck (nt)

[flyarm]

207. CHOICEPOINT BOUGHT DBT ONLINE

DBT ONLINE HAD THE CONTRACT WITH THE STATE OF FLA for $4million TO PURGE VOTERS IN 2000 ELECTION

then in 2000
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E6DD1531F936A25751C0A9669C8B63

COMPANY NEWS; CHOICEPOINT AGREES TO BUY DBT ONLINE FOR $423 MILLION

Published: February 15, 2000
ChoicePoint Inc., a provider of information to the insurance industry, agreed to buy DBT Online Inc. for about $423 million in stock to add DBT's online public-record services to its offerings. DBT Online shareholders will receive 0.525 share of ChoicePoint stock for every DBT share. ChoicePoint, which is based in Alpharetta, Ga., said the purchase of DBT would add civil public-record information to its offerings. DBT is based in Boca Raton, Fla.



http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010205/palast/2

snip:

In November 1998 the Republican-controlled office of the secretary of state handed the task to the single bidder, Database Technologies, now the DBT Online unit of ChoicePoint Inc. of Atlanta, into which it merged last year.
The elections unit within the secretary of state's office immediately launched a felon manhunt with a zeal and carelessness that worried local elections professionals. The Nation has obtained an internal Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections memo, dated August 1998, which warns Mortham's office that it had wrongly removed eligible voters in a botched rush "to capriciously take names off the rolls." However, to avoid a public row, the supervisors agreed to keep their misgivings within the confines of the bureaucracies in the belief that "entering a public fight with would be counterproductive."



That November Jeb Bush had an unexpectedly easy walk to the governor's mansion, an election victory attributed, ironically, to his endorsement by black Democratic politicians feuding with their party



snip:

A ChoicePoint DBT spokesman said, and the Florida Department of Elections confirms, that Harris's office approved the selection of states from which to obtain records for the felon scrub. As to why the department included states that restore voting rights, Janet Modrow, Florida's liaison to ChoicePoint DBT, bounced the question to Harris's legal staff. That office has not returned repeated calls.

[fooj]

216. Hiya Flyarm!

Check out post 181...my take.

Peace.

[flyarm]

218. hey fooj correct on post 181!! and it was started when choicepoint

bought DBT..ahead of the election..every bit of that election was planned to a T

they could not dare have another 4/8 years of a dem president..
they had the voting machines rigged they had the election rigged..they had their plan..and it was going to be implemented by any means nessesary with bubba jeb at the helm...

hi Fooj!!!!!!!:hi: :hi: :hi: :hi:

fly

[fooj]

219. PNAC blueprint! IN PLAIN SIGHT!

Peace.:hug:

[BelgianMadCow]

237. This sure can USE some CAPS hell yeah

planned theft

planned it all

[fooj]

229. Kick

Peace.

[cosmicdot]

238. Accenture and Axciom

Accenture, Bermuda-based, off-shore company gets a lot of federal contracts (why?), was Katherine Harris' handpick choice to replace Choice Point in Florida re voter information

Accenture, formerly part of Arthur Andersen

Top 100 Federal Prime Contractors -- 2005
25: Accenture Inc.

Top 100 defense revenue:
$216,344,878

Top 100 civilian revenue:
$325,002,496
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/top-100/2005/25.html


Accenture and Acxiom Join Forces to Help Companies Better Leverage Customer Information to Improve Business Results

Relationship to help clients more effectively obtain, analyze and apply customer data

NEW YORK and LITTLE ROCK, Ark.; Dec. 17, 2003 -- Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Acxiom (Nasdaq: ACXM) have joined forces to help clients in the retail financial services, telecommunications, consumer products and government sectors better use customer information to improve business results.

http://www.acxiom.com.au/default.aspx?ID=2369&DisplayID=87


A provision that bars corporate expatriates from Homeland Security Department contracts was introduced by Senator Levin and passed in the 2004 DHS appropriations bill. The provision only applies to companies which reincorporated “after 2002.” (The loophole was inserted into the appropriations bill during the closed-door House/Senate conference committee mark-up, ensuring that the ban would not affect a $10 billion DHS contract already given to Bermuda-based Accenture.) The House 2004 Homeland Security Department appropriations bill was passed by a 234-197 vote that largely broke down along partisan lines. The House version, which included the Accenture loophole, reversed a House Appropriations Committee 35 to 17 vote in favor of an amendment introduced by Rep. DeLauro (D-CA) that would block corporate tax traitors from receiving Homeland Security Department contracts. http://www.corporatepolicy.org/issues/taxtraitors.htm

2000 News Archive

National Security Agency Selects Accenture for Multi-Agency Computer Systems Support Contract
http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?it=enweb&xd=_dyn%5Cdynamicpressrelease_11.xml

Accenture has partnerships with Halliburton and Microsoft

Accenture Teams with Halliburton’s Landmark Graphics Unit on New Integrated Services for the Oil And Gas Industry http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?it=enweb&xd=_dyn%5Cdynamicpressrelease_366.xml


Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company. Accenture works closely with Microsoft to help its customers implement Microsoft-based solutions to become high-performance businesses and governments. Accenture provides a wide range of services, including infrastructure consulting, SAP with Microsoft, outsourcing, and information management.
Avanade, founded in 2000 as a joint venture between Microsoft Corporation and Accenture, is the leading global technology integrator specializing in the Microsoft enterprise platform.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/applicationplatform/launch2005/partners/accenture_avanade.mspx

[Emit]

240. Accenture=Andersen Consulting=Arthur Andersen that audited Enron bks

According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, Accenture was once known as Andersen Consulting, which was a division of Arthur Andersen, the major accounting firm that audited Enron’s books. In 2001, Andersen Consulting changed its name to Accenture to avoid being caught up in the scandal surrounding Arthur Andersen’s accounting practices. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics found that for the 2003-2004 election cycle, Accenture has given approximately almost $335,465 to Republican candidates or causes and $124,000 to Democrats running for office.

Last month, members of Congress cried foul when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gave a $10 million contract to Accenture to design a system to track foreign visitors entering and leaving the United States. They cited Accenture's location in Bermuda, which they suggested the company might use to evade taxes. Under the DHS contract, Accenture will be working with Titan Corporation, another major government contractor whose employees have been embroiled in the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal.
Although Florida Governor Jeb Bush officially backed the decision to drop the list, some speculate that it may hinder the chances of his brother, President George W. Bush, in his bid for re-election. The decision, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, means that 28,000 registered Democrats who might have been purged can vote this November. Only 9,500 names on the list were registered Republican.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:-ROXTVWbGp8J:newstandardnews.net/content/%3Faction%3Dshow_item%26itemid%3D689+Andersen+Consulting+Jeb+Bush&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4