Dossier program alarms Utahns

[OneBlueSky]

By Jerry D. Spangler, Amy Joi Bryson and Bob Bernick Jr.
Deseret Morning News
January 29, 2004

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,590039368,00.html

It sounds like a sci-fi thriller: a super computer program that gathers dossiers on every single man, woman and child — everything from birth and marriage and divorce history to hunting licenses and car license plates. Even every address you have lived at down to the color of your hair.

It sounds surreal, but former Gov. Mike Leavitt signed Utah's 2.4 million residents up for a pilot program — ironically called MATRIX — that does just that. And he never bothered to reveal details of the program to Utah citizens or to state lawmakers who, upon learning of the program on Capitol Hill this week, are now worried the state could be involved in a program that jeopardizes basic civil liberties.

"I am concerned our governor signed us up without ever talking to us, the people of the state" said Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen, D-Stansbury Park, who has asked legislative analysts to research whether the Legislature ever authorized state participation in the program. "If what I have heard is true, then I am concerned about our liberty and our privacy. It is a national identification card without ever carrying it."

Allen's concerns are shared by his GOP counterparts, who worry about government intrusion into people's private lives and the collection of comprehensive data on people who have committed no crime.

more . . .

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,590039368,00.html

[punpirate]

1. And guess where Leavitt is now?

Head of the EPA....

One has to keep hoping that what goes around, comes around.

[MinnFats]

2. that is extremely creepy.

keep DUers informed....this must be stopped. I am forwarding to LOTS of people...

[Katarina]

3. Why we should fear the Matrix...

On October 30, 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.

What is the Matrix, and why is the ACLU so concerned? Those are the two questions I will address in this column. I will also argue that readers should be concerned, too.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20031105.html