Charles Cooper writes about public perceptions of DARPA. With the media coverage these days, it is easy to forget the DARPA charter and the intended unconventional nature of the research it conducts. As Cooper writes:
“The fact is that TIA data was supposed to focus on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence information gathered–not whether you rented “Debbie Does Dallas” on your last trip to Blockbuster. It’s not hard to build in safeguards that protect against potential abuses of the system. The Defense Department set up internal and external oversight boards to make sure that constitutional rights and privacy protection are not compromised.
Painting a worst-case scenario of mission-creep, TIA critics say this is an open invitation to an Orwellian future. Really? I haven’t seen any proof of that, though I did see the smoking hole that used to be the World Trade Tower complex in my hometown of New York City. “Full Story