U.S. Taps Vast Banking Database in Secret Antiterror Program, Official Say

[im10ashus]

By ERIC LICHTBLAU and JAMES RISEN

WASHINGTON, June 22 - Under a secret Bush administration program initiated weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials have gained access to financial records from a vast international database and examined banking transactions involving thousands of Americans and others in the United States, according to government and industry officials.

The program is limited, government officials say, to tracing transactions of people suspected of ties to Al Qaeda by reviewing records from the nerve center of the global banking industry, a Belgian cooperative that routes about $6 trillion daily between banks, brokerages, stock exchanges and other institutions. The records mostly involve wire transfers and other methods of moving money overseas or into and out of the United States. Most routine financial transactions confined to this country are not in the database.

Viewed by the Bush administration as a vital tool, the program has played a hidden role in domestic and foreign terrorism investigations since 2001 and helped in the capture of the most wanted Qaeda figure in Southeast Asia, the officials said. The program, run out of the Central Intelligence Agency and overseen by the Treasury Department, "has provided us with a unique and powerful window into the operations of terrorist networks and is, without doubt, a legal and proper use of our authorities," Stuart Levey, an undersecretary at the Treasury Department, said in an interview Thursday. The program is grounded in part on the president's emergency economic powers, Mr. Levey said, and multiple safeguards have been imposed to protect against any unwarranted searches of Americans' records.

The program, however, is a significant departure from typical practice in how the government acquires Americans' financial records. Treasury officials did not seek individual court-approved warrants or subpoenas to examine specific transactions, instead relying on broad administrative subpoenas for millions of records from the cooperative, known as Swift.

cont'd...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/22/washington/22cnd-intel.html?hp&ex=1151035200&en=3653468f88851bcd&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[originalpckelly]

1. We are living in a digital prison.

A quote from THX 1138:
"I am here to help you. Relax. You have nothing to fear. I am here." --Robotic policeman

[im10ashus]

3. I couldn't agree more.

No Congressional approval or oversight? I think they have now trampled on about 2/3 of the Amendment's in the Constitution.

[datadiva]

2. How long before we find out

that all of our records are involved and not just oversees transactions. Sounds something like the wiretapping crap.

[im10ashus]

4. It looks like they would have got this information one way or another.

Another excerpt:

Intelligence officials were so eager to exploit the Swift data that they discussed having the C.I.A. covertly gain access to the system, several officials involved in the talks said. But Treasury officials resisted, the officials said, and favored going to Swift directly.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

5. Don't use your discount grocery card either. I was watching either

C-Span (I can't remember the topic or speaker), but it was an RFID type question and the interviewee had this unbelievable story.

A patron of a grocery store had slipped and fallen and was suing the store. The store used this persons purchases (alcohol, was one) against him as well as others. They are now using our purchases against us, as bad decision makers (based on who's view of good/bad), next they'll be selling (maybe, already are) our shopping info. to insurance co's.

[im10ashus]

6. I've already suspected that those stores sell the info to telemarketers.

You can bet believe anything with a bar code can be tracked. Can you say 1984?

[im10ashus]

7. Self-kick.

This story is going to be huge.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

8. I actually don't believe the grocery stores are doing the data

collection. They are purchasing the price discounting info., but from whom?

If you do a price check, it will not show the sale price until the card is presented. The store even has to use a store card to get the correct price. The store doesn't even know the pricing. Ain't it grand!

[im10ashus]

9. Well, if you are using their (the stores) discount card.

Doesn't it have a bar code. They could certainly track what you are buying. Or am I missing something here?

[I_Make_Mistakes]

10. I have been told by the employees that they cannot access the

data concerning my purchases. I guess my point is that it appears they outsource their pricing process to an external firm.

I will give you an ex., because I have a difficult time expressing myself in written form.

I worked for a credit card co., 2 1/2 months too long. Here is how they processed check payments. The check you send goes to a co. that basically, gathers and cashes the checks. The check info. then is sent to a co., that assigns that check payment to an acct and transmits the info to another party that manages the account and notifies the credit card co. of the payment.

My point is that the credit card co., does nothing other than have a list of customers and very basic info. on those customers. They out source every function of processing that account.

I don't think the store has the ability to control the scanner amts, it's outsourced to another co. So, who is this process out-sourced too?

[im10ashus]

13. I see what you are saying now.

And in fact have worked in a company that processed checks for commercial actors and musicians. I saw a lot of information and wondered what lengths they went to in order to safeguard that information. They wire transfered money here and there and then printed the checks in one place while sending it to another to be mailed.

[annabanana]

15. Of course they are...

As a "big buyer" I get special coupons in the mail every month or so.. tailored to my regular purchases. The grocery card has to be swiped to get their regular discounts and it is tied to the register receipt, along with the debit card you used to pay..

That info (shopping choices) is WAY too valuable not to be collected and sold.

edit for vowel purposes..

[im10ashus]

16. Good point.

If they can track that, what else can they track. We know library cards are another way to track. Phone calls, credit cards. Now they are dipping into bank accounts without congressional oversight. The article is quite revealing and I suspect this story will get bigger. :shrug:

:hi:

[originalpckelly]

11. I wonder if Scarborough will be against this...

I was somewhat surprised to see him take the right side on the NSA call database, in fact in his rant (available from Crooks & Liars) he mentioned banking records. Let's hope he doesn't miss this for the Miami raid.

[im10ashus]

12. I hope he carries the story at least.

This needs coverage.

[im10ashus]

14. Kick!