Pacifying the Homeland: Intelligence Fusion and Mass Supervision

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the United States government embarked on a massive expansion of its intelligence and law enforcement capabilities. This expansion has included the creation of new intelligence fusion centers, the deployment of new mass surveillance technologies, and the adoption of new legal authorities that allow the government to collect and share information about our activities.

Pacifying the Homeland: Intelligence Fusion and Mass Supervision

by Anthony Gregory

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1195 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	306 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

These technologies and authorities are being used to create a surveillance state that is eroding our civil liberties and undermining our democracy. In Pacifying the Homeland, author Tim Shortell argues that the government's surveillance apparatus is becoming increasingly sophisticated and intrusive, and that it is being used to target activists, dissidents, and other groups that pose no real threat to national security.

Shortell's book is a timely and important contribution to the debate over the future of privacy and civil liberties in the United States. He provides a comprehensive overview of the government's surveillance apparatus, and he offers a powerful critique of the ways in which it is being used to undermine our freedoms.

Intelligence Fusion

Intelligence fusion is the process of combining information from multiple sources to create a more complete picture of a particular threat or issue. In the wake of 9/11, the government created a number of new intelligence fusion centers to share information between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

These fusion centers have been criticized for being ineffective and for violating our privacy. A 2012 report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board found that the fusion centers had failed to produce any significant intelligence successes and that they had violated the privacy of innocent Americans.

Despite these criticisms, the government continues to expand the use of intelligence fusion. In 2013, the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to create a new National Fusion Center that would collect and share information from all levels of government, as well as from the private sector.

Mass Supervision

Mass supervision is the use of technology to track and monitor large numbers of people. This technology includes surveillance cameras, license plate readers, and social media monitoring. The government is increasingly using mass supervision to track the activities of its citizens.

This use of mass supervision has been criticized for being ineffective and for violating our privacy. A 2014 report by the American Civil Liberties Union found that mass surveillance had failed to prevent any terrorist attacks and that it had violated the privacy of millions of innocent Americans.

Despite these criticisms, the government continues to expand the use of mass supervision. In 2015, the Department of Justice announced plans to create a new National Crime Information Center that would collect and share information about all criminal suspects and arrestees.

The Erosion of Civil Liberties

The government's use of intelligence fusion and mass supervision is eroding our civil liberties. These technologies are being used to target activists, dissidents, and other groups that pose no real threat to national security.

For example, the government has used intelligence fusion to track the activities of Black Lives Matter activists and to monitor the communications of Muslim Americans. The government has also used mass supervision to track the movements of immigrants and to monitor the activities of political protesters.

The use of these technologies is undermining our democracy. It is making it more difficult for people to exercise their First Amendment rights and to hold the government accountable.

The Way Forward

We need to take action to protect our civil liberties and our democracy. We need to demand that the government stop using intelligence fusion and mass supervision to target innocent Americans.

We also need to support organizations that are working to protect our privacy and our civil liberties. These organizations are fighting to ensure that the government does not have unchecked power to collect and share information about our activities.

We can also take steps to protect our own privacy. We can use strong passwords and encryption to protect our online accounts and devices. We can also limit the amount of personal information that we share online.

By taking these steps, we can help to protect our civil liberties and our democracy.

Pacifying the Homeland: Intelligence Fusion and Mass Supervision

by Anthony Gregory

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1195 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	306 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE