[huridocs-tech] USA: ACLU seeks answers on new state-run surveillance program

American Civil Liberties Union

What Is The Matrix? ACLU Seeks Answers on New State-Run Surveillance Program

October 30, 2003

Defunct Big Brother Spying Program Resurfaces as "Little Brother" in 
Seven States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK-The American Civil Liberties Union today filed simultaneous 
state "Freedom of Information Act" requests in Connecticut, Michigan, 
New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania about those states' participation in 
the new "MATRIX" database surveillance system.  It also released an 
Issue Brief explaining the problems with the program, which also 
operates in Florida and Utah.

"Congress killed the Pentagon's 'Total Information Awareness' data 
mining program, but now the federal government is trying to build up 
a state-run equivalent," said Barry Steinhardt, Director of the 
ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program.  

"In essence, the government is replacing an unpopular Big Brother 
initiative with a lot of Little Brothers," he added, noting that the 
program is receiving $12 million from the Departments of Justice and 
Homeland Security.  "What does it take for the message to get through 
that government spying on the activities of innocent Americans will 
not be tolerated?"

The ACLU's requests, which were filed under individual states' 
open-records laws, come on the heels of a federal Freedom of 
Information Act request it filed October 17.  A similar request was 
also filed in Florida, where the program originated.   The goal of 
the requests is to find out what information sources the system is 
drawing on - information program officials have refused to disclose - 
as well as who has access to the database and how it is being used.  

According to Congressional testimony and news reports, The Matrix 
(which stands for "Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange") 
creates dossiers about individuals from government databases and 
private-sector information companies that compile files on Americans' 
activities for profit.  It then makes those dossiers available for 
search by federal and state law enforcement officers.  In addition, 
Matrix workers comb through the millions of files in a search for 
"anomalies" that may be indicative of terrorist or other criminal 
activity.  

While company officials have refused to disclose details of the 
program, according to news reports the kind of information to be 
searched includes 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.

Raising even more issues, the Matrix is operated by a private 
company, Seisint Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida.  Ironically, the 
company's founder was forced to resign after information about his 
own past came to light: according to Florida police, he was formerly 
a drug smuggler who had piloted multiple planeloads of cocaine from 
Colombia to the U.S.

"Members of Congress who voted to close down TIA in the belief that 
they were ending this kind of data mining surveillance must demand 
more information about The Matrix," said Steinhardt.  "And then they 
should shut it down too."

Copies of the ACLU's state and federal FOIA requests as well as the 
Issue Brief about The Matrix are online at 
http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=14240&c=130, and can also 
be accessed at www.aclu.org/privacy.



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