Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 05:28:10 -0500 (EST)
From: belmonte@MIT.EDU (Matthew Belmonte)
To: CapuanoHR8@aol.com
Subject: limit the Total Information Awareness program

I write to urge you to lobby your colleagues in the House to retain in
conference the Wyden Amendment (SA 59) to the omnibus appropriations bill
(HJRes 2) which was agreed to yesterday in the Senate.

This measure would limit the development and deployment of John Poindexter's
Total Information Awareness program, which aims to apply data-mining to
identify people suspected of plotting crimes.  In particular, the Wyden
Amendment would require the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice,
and the CIA to report on the specific aims and anticipated effects of each
element of the Total Information Awareness initiative, and would prohibit the
use of this technology within the United States in the absence of specific
authorisation from Congress.  This data-mining technology inevitably relies on
circumstance and probability, and therefore will finger innocent people and
subject them to unfair scrutiny and invasions of privacy.

As you know, John Poindexter's previous responsibilities in government
consisted of perjury and destruction of evidence during his attempts to
cover up the Iran-Contra affair as National Security Advisor in the Reagan
Administration.  This record does not inspire trust.

Again, I hope that you'll urge your colleagues on the conference committee to
retain the Senate's restrictions on the Total Information Awareness program.
I look forward to hearing your views on this important issue.

Matthew Belmonte
[address]