Whoa!!...Pentagon Creating Student Database?!?

[carpe diem]

Recruiting Tool For Military Raises Privacy Concerns

By Jonathan Krim
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 23, 2005; Page A01


The Defense Department began working yesterday with a private marketing firm to create a database of high school students ages 16 to 18 and all college students to help the military identify potential recruits in a time of dwindling enlistment in some branches.

The program is provoking a furor among privacy advocates. The new database will include personal information including birth dates, Social Security numbers, e-mail addresses, grade-point averages, ethnicity and what subjects the students are studying.

The data will be managed by BeNow Inc. of Wakefield, Mass., one of many marketing firms that use computers to analyze large amounts of data to target potential customers based on their personal profiles and habits.
...............................................

Privacy advocates said the plan appeared to be an effort to circumvent laws that restrict the government's right to collect or hold citizen information by turning to private firms to do the work.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062202305.html

[liberal N proud]

1. They will know when a student is failing and ready to attack

All compliments of No Child Left Behind.

[SoCalDem]

2. Got news for ya..

YOU are probably on more data bases than you could count. Every time you apply for credit, buy anything on credit, rent a house, fill out a sweepstakes entry, enter school, join any club..you create a paper trail...Those "trails" are valuable commodities, being bought and sold daily, hourly..Who knows where they end up?
Is this administration (or any) above creating a phony "company" and buying up all thet info??

Would they tell you?..nope

and, since you need a social security number to claim a child as a deduction, the govt already knows when your kids will turn 18..

[JuniperLea]

5. there are certain things

i will only buy with cash. books need to go on that list;)

[mermaid]

11. Yep...And Ironically Enough...

the only thing you do that DOESN'T create a paper trail is VOTE!!!

[FrannyD]

3. only public schools

I'm sure they won't be adding those who are in elite private schools, or the wacky home-schooled Christain kids.

[jimshoes]

4. Hey all you republitards

You still gonna be so gung ho when your kid is sent to die in the oil wars? How do your kids feel about the draft? The young college republicans don't like the idea so much. They wouldn't allow an advertisement calling on them to enlist in their convention literature.

[anarch]

6. "No Child Left Behind"

...from the Oil Wars.

[DBoon]

7. skills draft!!

perfect for targeting kids with skills and aptitudes in high demand areas.

Languages, computers, etc.

Helps them pick and choose.

[KharmaTrain]

8. Special Needs Draft Anyone?

This regime is stuck...the need a way to recharge the military...especially critical tech jobs. Stop loss orders can only last so long and this is a way of getting fresh blood without having a real draft.

A couple ways this game could be played...the government uses provisions of the Patriot Act to pull "qualified people" into the "war on terror" or a special in-the-middle-of-the-night ammendment is attached to a military apporpriations bill (no one votes against those) and on it goes with little notice until after it's law.

Bunnypants promised there wasn't going to be a draft and his ego won't let a draft be instituted as a draft...he'll find a slimy, backdoor way as he did with everything else.

BTW...wanna bet that database has a column set up for Repugnican contributors so they know which kids are "friendly"?

[mermaid]

13. Bet On It

I GUARANTEE the political affiliations are well-known, and betting anything you want that they are TRYING to send Democrats off to die, as it's the only way they can get the majority and mandate they claim. By killing US off!

[Clark2008]

9. Time to start handing out the Opt-Out

forms!

http://www.militaryfreezone.org/opt_out.pdf

[lildreamer316]

10. Where's a good hacker when you need one?n/t

[LizW]

12. Apparently not enough that they already have this for ages 18-25

called the Selective Service. Selective Service can share registration information with the DOD for purposes of recruiting.

http://www.sss.gov/PRIVACY.HTM#07

I guess they want to get the girls too, and dip down to the younger kids.

This makes it more important that ever to get the Opt-out form and protect our children's information from being released to the military.