Codename: ONE DOJ. While I can't say for sure, this sounds much like the "The Matrix" or Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange. This was a similar system that was proposed, developed and shelved a few years back. Is this the same program under a new, less machine-led-humans-as batteries-armageddon moniker?

The Maxtrix was designed to aggregate public records along with private data sources (credit headers, etc.) to create one massive personal info chopper. For the time being, ONE DOJ appears to be a much more modest effort, geared toward nation-wide availability of casefiles and investigative reports from around the country.

Techdirt, for its part, will tell you why this is a bad idea (again).

-- MDT

Labels: database, Matrix, Techdirt, Total Information Awareness

Recall this story from last summer about the Federal government's abandoned plans for The Matrix, (or The Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange) a proposed database that would aggregate public records and commercially obtained data (read, credit headers, cell phone numbers and whatever else commerical firms can get their hands on) and make the information available to local law enforcement.

While the Feds discontinued their plans for the database, much to the relief of privacy advocates, Florida, for its part is apparently continuing to develop a similar system that would be powered by Lexis Nexis's Seisint. It is worth noting that Seisint was affilicated by a major personal info heist that touched off last summer's tidal wave of data breach news coverage and increased governmental, media and consumer attention to the issues surrounding personal data security.

-- MDT

Labels: data breech, database, homeland security, Lexis Nexis, Matrix, Seisint, terrorism