Too Much Bother

Congress wants the Justice Department to file an annual report about its data-mining techniques. The Administration, specifically the Justice Department, says they don't want to do it because it would be too inconvenient. What they didn't say is considering how well they've handled this stuff in the past, they're really sick and tired of being embarrassed. NYTimes (07.23.05):

[A] set of talking points distributed among Republican lawmakers as the measure was being debated warned that the Justice Department was opposed to the amendment because it would add to the list of 'countless reports' already required by Congress and would take time away from more critical law enforcement activities." Behind-the-Scenes Battle on Tracking Data Mining

Apparently, "the Congressional requests have become an annoyance for at least some Justice Department officials." "The unsigned talking points, circulated by Republican House members, said the [Justice Department] opposed the amendment because it would be 'burdensome, costly, and of little value, and could interfere with the daily law enforcement activities.'" Damn that Constitution. Such an inconvenient thing! On the other hand, the Justice Department's track record has not particularly impressive. "The government's use of vast public and private databases to mine for leads has produced several damaging episodes for the Bush administration, most notably in connection with the Total Information Awareness system developed by the Pentagon for tracking terror suspects and the Capps program of the Department of Homeland Security for screening airline passengers. Both programs were ultimately scrapped after public outcries over possible threats to privacy and civil liberties, and some Republicans and Democrats in Congress say they want to keep closer tabs on such computer operations to guard against abuse." As noted by Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R - WI5), "past data-mining programs by the F.B.I. and other agencies, even before the Sept. 11 attacks, had wasted tax dollars and 'compromised the privacy of literally millions of Americans.'" The House approved the amendment, "(d)espite the opposition of other Republican leaders". The Justice Department said they were "'still reviewing the language of the bill to make sure we fully understand what the implications are from a budget perspective.'" Ha!! Look for all the loopholes, use a magnifying glass.