EFF Calls on Congress to Examine the Investigative Data Warehouse

[Eugen Leitl]

http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2009/04/28

April 28th, 2009

Massive FBI Data-Mining Project Needs Congressional Oversight

EFF Calls on Congress to Examine the Investigative Data Warehouse

Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called on
Congress today to examine the Investigative Data Warehouse (IDW) -- a massive
FBI data-mining project that includes a billion records, many of which
contain personal information on American citizens. Supporting its request,
EFF provided Congress with its new report on IDW, published today with
information obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation.

EFF sued the FBI for information about the IDW under the FOIA in 2006, but
the agency has withheld important details about the collection, maintenance,
and use of personal information contained in the huge database. The
Department of Justice recently told the court that no additional material
will be disclosed, despite the Obama administration's new policies on open
government. In a letter sent today to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Patrick Leahy and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, EFF says
that Congress is the last avenue for accountability and oversight of this
potentially dangerous program.

"Nearly two years ago, Senator Leahy noted that the IDW was a system that was
'ripe for abuse,'" said EFF Senior Counsel David Sobel. "We could not agree
more. The congressional judiciary committees should examine the IDW and
provide the public with needed information about its impact on privacy
rights."

While the FBI is still withholding critical information, EFF's lawsuit did
uncover some key documents about the IDW. Using these records, EFF has
published a report surveying what is known about this massive data
collection, and what questions are still unanswered. The report notes that
the FBI has identified only 38 of the 53 "data sources" that feed into the
IDW. The report also discusses the FBI's efforts to avoid "raising
congressional consciousness levels and expectations" about the IDW's privacy
impact.

"A data warehouse of the size and power of the IDW requires strict oversight
from Congress and the public," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl,
who authored the new report. "The IDW includes more than four times as many
documents as the Library of Congress, and the FBI has asked for millions of
dollars to data-mine this warehouse, using unproven science in an attempt to
predict future crimes from past behavior. We need to know all of what's in
the IDW, and how our privacy will be protected."

For the full letter to Senator Leahy:

http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/foia_idw/leahy_IDW_ltr.pdf

For EFF's report on the IDW:

http://www.eff.org/issues/foia/investigative-data-warehouse-report

Contact:

David Sobel

Senior Counsel

Electronic Frontier Foundation

sobel at eff.org

Kurt Opsahl

Senior Staff Attorney

Electronic Frontier Foundation

kurt at eff.org