Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

The Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange Program, also known by the acronym "MATRIX", was a federally funded data mining system originally developed for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement described as a tool to identify terrorist subjects.

The system was reported to analyze government and commercial databases to find associations between suspects or to discover locations of or completely new "suspects". The database and technologies used in the system was housed by Seisint, a Florida-based company since acquired by Lexis Nexis.

The Matrix program was shut down in June 2005 after federal funding was cut in the wake of public concerns over privacy and state surveillance. [1]

[edit] History

MATRIX was the brain child of Hank Asher a serial businessman in the data aggregation field. Asher reportedly contacted Florida police immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks claiming he could find the hijackers as well as other potential terrorists. [2]. Asher reportedly offered to make available the database and technology that could do the job quickly, for free, supplied by the company he owned and operated, Seisint.

The program snowballed, receiving federal support and Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Ohio and Utah said they would participate. California and Texas joined then exited the program citing privacy and security concerns.

The program's similarity to the Total Information Awareness (TIA) federally funded initiative that was terminated following public concerns contributed to Matrix's demise.

It came under scrutiny by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). ("Why We Should Fear The Matrix". The Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange Program Threatens To Revive Total Information Awareness by Anita Ramasastry.)

"On 30 October 2003, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed simultaneous requests in Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania for information about those states' participation in the "Matrix" program. (The program's formal name is the "Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange.") In addition to the five states named above, four other states are participating - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Utah.
"The ACLU's requests seek to find out the information sources on which the Matrix is drawing; who has access to the database; and how it is being used. They were made pursuant to each states' Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Previously, in October, the ACLU had sought similar information under the federal version of FOIA, and in Florida, where the program originated."

Ramasastry's article provides the following on the "Matrix" program:

  • What The Matrix Is, and How It Works
"The Matrix is run by a private corporation -- Seisint, Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida -- on behalf of a cooperative group of state governments. However, it is, at least in part, federally funded -- and may, in future, allow federal access.
"The program has received $4 million from the Justice Department. It has been promised a further $8 million from the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, news reports indicate that Matrix officials have said they are considering giving access to the CIA.
"What does the Matrix do? According to Congressional testimony and news reports, it appears to do just what TIA would have done, if enacted: Tie together government and commercial databases in order to allow federal and state law enforcement entities to conduct detailed searches on particular individuals' dossiers.
"The Matrix web site states that the data compiled will include criminal histories, driver's license data, vehicle registration records, and significant amounts of public data record entries. Company officials have refused to disclose more specific details about the nature and sources of the data. According to news reports, the data may also include credit histories, driver's license photographs, marriage and divorce records, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and the names and addresses of family members, neighbors and business associates.
"Moreover, there is no guarantee that the type of data that the Matrix compiles will not be further expanded. And information in today's commercial databases encompasses purchasing habits, magazine subscriptions, income and job histories, and much more. Soon, we may be profiled based on what we read and buy, and how we live.
"In Congressional testimony (25 March 2003), a Florida lawmaker, Paula B. Dockery, described how the Matrix works: It combines government records with information from 'public search businesses' into a 'data-warehouse.' There, dossiers are reviewed by 'specialized software' to identify 'anomalies' using 'mathematical analysis.' If 'anomalies' are spotted, they will then be scrutinized by personnel who will search for evidence of terrorism or other crimes.
"As with TIA, the idea is plainly that of data mining -- the concept that searches for patterns in this data (including so-called 'anomalies') that can identify individuals possibly involved in terrorist or other criminal activity. But as with TIA, this kind of 'data mining' may be ineffective, and has severe downsides, including its privacy costs."

"Data from MATRIX are transferred through the Regional Information Sharing Systems network (riss.net), an existing secure law enforcement network used to transmit sensitive information among law enforcement agencies, with connectivity for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, United States Attorneys' Offices, other federal agencies, and several state law enforcement systems."

Source: Free Expression Policy Project. Also see First responders get homeland security network, Government Computer News, v. 23, #9, 28 April 2003.

MATRIX web site, Institute for Intergovernmental Research. Contact: R. Clay Jester[1]. Program Contacts.

ACLU Links to TIA information, FOIA requests, and news clips on the "Matrix" program.

The MATRIX: Total Information Awareness Reloaded (438 KB pdf download), ACLU, 30 October 2003.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/u/l/Multistate_Anti-Terrorism_Information_Exchange_4ab2.html"
In other languages