[osint] Group to launch terrorist database
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 - --- begin forwarded text To: "Bruce Tefft" <btefft@community-research.com> Thread-Index: AcTNAwGu+++zgK7aQ5yfqJWprtY+xAAFRDpg From: "Bruce Tefft" <btefft@community-research.com> Mailing-List: list osint@yahoogroups.com; contact osint-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list osint@yahoogroups.com Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 21:42:54 -0500 Subject: [osint] Group to launch terrorist database Reply-To: osint@yahoogroups.com Wednesday, November 17, 2004 Group to launch terrorist database BY Diane Frank Published on Nov. 17, 2004 National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism "DHS plans info hub" [FCW.com, April 7, 2004] "DHS debuts info portal" [FCW.com, April 19, 2004] A new system with detailed historical information on terrorism could become the first stop for first responders and other government officials developing strategies to prevent incidents nationwide, experts said Wednesday. The Terrorism Knowledge Base is the latest Web-based resource from the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a nonprofit organization in Oklahoma City. The institute developed three solutions, which also include the Lessons Learned Information System and the Responder Knowledge Base, with funding from the Justice and Homeland Security departments. This system provides open-source, unclassified information on international and domestic terrorism, pulling information from a database of terrorist incident information maintained since 1968 by Rand, nonprofit research organization. It also incorporates links to original court documents pertaining to suspected terrorists. The institute's analysis tools collect this information and allow officials to compare and sort the information. A wizard tool takes users through a step-by-step process to find the information they want. The Rand database had not been available to the public or much of government until now, and it provides information about groups, individuals, incidents, tactics and other issues that can provide critical context when developing a prevention and response strategy, said James Ellis, research and program coordinator for the project at the institute. "A lot of people, when they're doing that kind of planning, they're always trying to think hypothetically, theoretically, what might terrorists do," Ellis said. "That's fine, but why don't we look at what they actually have done over the last several decades, and use that to be able to have real-world data to support them." Using open-source terrorist information from public and private sources is one of the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission, said Lloyd Salvetti, a former officer with the CIA and a consultant to the commission. It is an important complimentary resource for the intelligence community and first responders, he said. For first responders at the federal, state and local levels of government, the systems fill a void by providing information in a resource that even those who are not technology-savvy can use, said Suzanne Mencer, director of DHS' Office for Domestic Preparedness. "Whenever you can look at historically what has occurred in a particular area, that gives you some indication of the potential for what may occur in the future," she said. "This is an indicator, ... one tool in the toolbox for the investigator, for the academic, or anyone that is in the decision-making process." http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/1115/web-terrordata-11-17-04.asp - ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. 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"R.A. Hettinga" <rah@shipwright.com> wrote: [from osint] Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Group to launch terrorist database BY Diane Frank Published on Nov. 17, 2004
[snip]
The Terrorism Knowledge Base is the latest Web-based resource from the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a nonprofit organization in Oklahoma City. The institute developed three solutions, which also include the Lessons Learned Information System and the Responder Knowledge Base, with funding from the Justice and Homeland Security departments.
This system provides open-source, unclassified information on international and domestic terrorism, pulling information from a database of terrorist incident information maintained since 1968 by Rand, nonprofit research organization. It also incorporates links to original court documents pertaining to suspected terrorists.
They should set up a snitch line, so to speak, so that the general public can report, possibly even by email, incidents of small-scale terrorism and potential terrorism that they might witness as they go about their daily lives. It couldn't hurt. In fact, such a move would easily eliminate any question of institutional bias in reference to the selection criterion used to evaluate whether any given incident qualifies as terrorism or not. I'm not usually one to come out in favour of government database systems, but for something like the terrorism database (which has the potential to greatly enhance the security of democracy and law), what's there not to like about it? Regards, Steve --------------------------------- Post your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 23:45:33 -0500 (EST), Steve Thompson <steve49152@yahoo.ca> wrote:
They should set up a snitch line, so to speak, so that the general public can report, possibly even by email, incidents of small-scale terrorism and potential terrorism that they might witness as they go about their daily lives. It couldn't hurt. In fact, such a move would easily eliminate any question of institutional bias in reference to the selection criterion used to evaluate whether any given incident qualifies as terrorism or not.
Quoting from http://bofh.ntk.net/Bastard3.html ========== I make a mental note of his license plate. In fact, I did that 60 times a minute for 15 and a half minutes. Oh dear.. oh dear.... Looks like another call to the DMV Database to register a vehicle as stolen by out of town arms dealers... ========== So when some jackhole cuts you off in traffic, now you don't report him as a possible drunk driver, now you can turn him into DHS as a highway terrorist. Unless he's preemtively called you in. Everyone remember the rules of the prisoner's game? Anyway, you already have snitch lines. http://www.fbi.gov/page2/oct04/seekinfo103004.htm says you can use the online tip form, or contact your local FBI office or US embassy. Or your police department.
I'm not usually one to come out in favour of government database systems, but for something like the terrorism database (which has the potential to greatly enhance the security of democracy and law), what's there not to like about it?
Howzabout the difficulty of sorting the useful tips out of the chaff when you just know that some new spam network will be set up to flood the system with bogus yet somewhat plausible tips. Howzabout the difficulty that you - the meat blob - will have trying to get your name out of the database after you unfortunately happened to be within a 10 mile radius of "the real terrorists". Howzabout the fact that in this day and age of the internet and telephone, no one seems to have successfully managed to hack up some little Law-Enforcement-Only forum where "They" go to talk about how to catch terrorists. That's a people problem, really. Howzabout the fact that all LE organizations seem to have a real hard time working together, squealing about jurisdiction, etc. If they were actually serious about getting the job done, they'd either put the "juris-my-dick-tion bullshit" or there would be some presidental directive simply ordering everyone to play nice together. I don't think either of those are happening, based on the number of security czars who seem to be retiring suddenly. -- GDB has a 'break' feature; why doesn't it have 'fix' too?
Chris Kuethe <chris.kuethe@gmail.com> wrote: [snip] Quoting from http://bofh.ntk.net/Bastard3.html I didn't really need to be reminded of that... Now I have diet coke all over my keyboard. Shame on you.
========== I make a mental note of his license plate. In fact , I did that 60 times a minute for 15 and a half minutes. Oh dear.. oh dear.... Looks like another call to the DMV Database to register a vehicle as stolen by out of town arms dealers... ==========
So when some jackhole cuts you off in traffic,
... accelerate, close and then force him off the road. Oh, wait. We have cell-phones now and so should rather telephone the local constabulary and let _them_ apprehend the miscreant.
now you don't report him as a possible drunk driver, now you can turn him into DHS as a highway terrorist.
On the other hand, we could save lots of money if we used bullets that have been drilled out and filled with mercury. True, we might have to deal with PETArds getting in a uproar over the heavy-metal poisoned wrecks littering the sides of the roads, but we can write that down as an opportunity cost. Fight fire with fire, I say.
Unless he's preemptively called you in. Everyone remember the rules of the prisoner's game?
I think so, but I should probably go back and refresh my memory. Just to be sure.
Anyway, you already have snitch lines. http://www.fbi.gov/page2/oct04/seekinfo103004.htm says you can use the online tip form, or contact your local FBI office or US embassy. Or your police department.
But if I submit a terrorist report to one of those places will it eventually end up registered in their terrorism database? Probably not. Obviously, they need a 1-800 number or something that goes straight to the DHS.
[not in favour of large gov't databases]
Howzabout the difficulty of sorting the useful tips out of the chaff when you just know that some new spam network will be set up to flood the system with bogus yet somewhat plausible tips.
If they don't have a good enough dictionary for their filters now, they never will.
Howzabout the difficulty that you - the meat blob - will have trying to get your name out
"you - the meat blob." How flattering.
of the database after you unfortunately happened to be within a 10 mile radius of "the real terrorists".
That can't be good. Is the measure of proximity to "real terrorists" on a scale that uses a linear scalar, or a logarithmic one?
Howzabout the fact that in this day and age of the internet and telephone, no one seems to have successfully managed to hack up some little Law-Enforcement-Only forum where "They" go to talk about how to catch terrorists.
I imagine that it would be too hard to screen for criminals and terrorists completely, rendering the idea of a private forum moot.
That's a people problem, really.
No shit.
Howzabout the fact that all LE organizations seem to have a real hard time working together, squealing about jurisdiction, etc.
Sounds like bad management if that's still the problem. Maybe the cops should hire a few management consultants and tune their workflow system. We should tell them, though, that if they do that they must remember to brief the consultants thoroughly on the other consultants from the private sector -- the ones that are _already_ involved with various things related to law enforcement. Good consultants hate surprises.
If they were actually serious about getting the job done, they'd either put the "juris-my-dick-tion bullshit" or there would be some presidential directive simply ordering everyone to play nice together. I don't think
How about a presidential order that says that they all have to run and use Peoplesoft (or something similar) to facilitate better interoperability? That might work too.
either of those are happening, based on the number of security czars who seem to be retiring suddenly.
I suppose that last bit depends somewhat on the number who are going into the private sector, as opposed to those who are going into a `true' retirement from work. Regards, Steve
-- GDB has a 'break' feature; why doesn't it have 'fix' too?
It's likely they just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. Maybe it'll get done for the next major release. ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
participants (3)
-
Chris Kuethe -
R.A. Hettinga -
Steve Thompson