Yet more damning evidence came out this week that the federal government is using the War on Terrorism for sweeping surveillance based on mysterious terrorist databases. The FBI has worked with the Education Department for the past five years to sift through millions of student financial aid records as part of “Project Strike Back, the Associated Press reported.
Law enforcement agents may need to access various personal records as part of an investigation. That’s common, and requires some form of probable cause. Here’s the problem with “Operation Strike Back” and all the other massive data-mining operations:
But all of this “eco-terrorist” rhetoric raises even more concerns about programs like this. What if someone is on one of this government blacklists not by mistake, but by malice? Such as for being an animal rights activist or environmentalist? The fact that this data-mining program targeted students compounds these concerns, because universities are a hotbed of animal rights and environmental activism, and the front lines for so-called “extremists” targeting animal research.
During the nearly five years the data-mining program was in effect, the Education Department did not refer any terrorism cases to the Justice Department for prosecution, according to a comprehensive database of federal case referrals maintained by Syracuse University.
Hmm. Five years. About 15 million records per year. And no arrests? Not even a referral of a case to the Justice Department?
Of course the FBI counters how this is vital research to prevent the terrorists lurking in every shadow, and that it needs time to build up “profiles” of students. But if that’s the case, why did the Feds have no problem abruptly canceling the program just 10 days after Medill School of Journalism reporters uncovered it?
A lot of folks have been outraged by the privacy violations exposed through this story, but I think that pales in comparison to the threat of programs like this to our civil liberties. It’s clear that this “eco-terrorism” rhetoric is having a real world impact on people’s daily lives: even if they’re just applying for a student loan.