Americans being given threat assessments while travelling inside the U.S.
image credit: information security handbook
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) seeks documents about the "Analytical Framework for Intelligence" which incorporates personal information from government agencies, commercial data brokers, and the Internet. The agency then uses secret, analytic tools to assign "risk assessments" to travelers, including U.S. citizens traveling solely within the United States.
In other words stakeholders and DHS are profiting from these analytical programs.
"The Automated Targeting System (ATS) compares traveler, cargo, and conveyance information against law enforcement, intelligence, and other enforcement data using risk-based targeting scenarios and assessments."
What do they mean by "other enforcement data"? Police currently enter American's names into NCIC and CODIS. Could they be checking your pizza delivery phone calls and your Tweets?
"Each of these sub-systems or modules supports the CBP officer in determining whether or not a particular individual or cargo is higher risk than other individuals or cargo. The final module looks across the different areas to find common concerns and risks. Each sub-system uses slightly different data to conduct its risk assessment."
In order to facilitate legitimate trade and travel while managing the risk of people or cargo entering or exiting the United States who may pose a threat, DHS CBP has designed and continues to operate the ATS.
Just last week I reported that police are giving American addresses color coded threat ratings!
Police are using more than TWENTY EIGHT automated "risk assessment" programs on EVERYONE travelling inside the US!
ATS "risk assessment" programs:
"Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), Automated Commercial System (ACS), Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS), Automated Export System (AES), Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), Border Crossing Information (BCI), Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC), Enforcement Integrated Database (EID) (which includes the Enforcement Case Tracking System (ENFORCE)), Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), Global Enrollment System (GES), Non-Immigrant Information System (NIIS), historical National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), Seized Asset and Case Tracking System (SEACATS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS), Social Security Administration (SSA) Death Master File, TECS, Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) which ATS ingests from the DHS Watchlist Service (WLS), and Refused VISA data from CCD."
ATS accesses and uses additional databases including, but not limited to:
"CBP Border Patrol Enforcement Tracking System (BPETS), Department of State Consular Consolidated Database (CCD), commercial data aggregators, CBP’s Enterprise Geospatial Information Services (eGIS), DHS Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT), WebIDENT, Nlets (not an acronym), DOJ’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the results of queries in the FBI’s Interstate Identification Index (III), and the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB’s) private database of stolen vehicles."
See Appendix D (pages 39, 40) to find out more.
FYI, EVERYONE is also being given a bioterror risk assessment, click here to find out more! That brings the total to 29 known risk assessments!
Law enforcement keeps records of everyone travelling in America and calls it ' Passenger Name Record ' (PNR).
PNR provides advanced information about cargo and related persons and entities for risk assessment and targeting purposes; for results of Cargo Enforcement Exams; for the combination of license plate, Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) registration data and biographical data associated with a border crossing; for certain law enforcement and/or intelligence data, reports, and projects developed by CBP analysts that may include public source information.
DHS/Police just admitted they're using your driver's license, license plate, biographical data and any public source (social media) information to give everyone a risk assessment!
American's can request a copy of their PNR but won't be told what information law enforcement has on them according to Section 7.1:
"A traveler, regardless of his or her citizenship or residence, may obtain access to his or her PNR, but records concerning the targeting rules, the responses to rules, case events, law enforcement and/or intelligence data, reports, and projects developed by CBP analysts that may include public source information, information obtained through memoranda of understanding or other arrangements because the information is relevant to the border security mission of the Department, or records exempted from access by the system from which ATS ingested or accessed the information will not be accessible to the individual."
Click here to see how you can request your PNR.
What they're really saying is, we'll tell you what your 'risk assessment' figure is and that's it!
Law enforcement claims the Privacy Act of 1974 allows then to keep all the other information a secret:
"Because of the law enforcement nature of ATS, DHS has exempted portions of this system from the notification, access, amendment, and certain accounting provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974."
ATS compares existing information on individuals and cargo entering and exiting the country with patterns identified as requiring additional scrutiny. The patterns are based on CBP officer experience, analysis of trends of suspicious activity, law enforcement cases and raw intelligence.
Our government is using an officer's experience and at least 31 automated programs if you include CODIS & NCIC to determine whether you're SUSPICOUS and will be placed on a PNR list! What could possibly go wrong?
In 2010 a B.S. review of "DHS's Approach to Security Analysis" was conducted by people with close ties to DHS. Unsurprisingly they found DHS's "risk assessment" program to be a useful tool, however what they really thought about it is kept confidential, to protect the integrity of the deliberative process!
"In concept, however, risk assessment is believed to provide a good opportunity for sound analysis and consistent decision support. Against this backdrop, the U.S. Congress asked the National Research Council of the National Academies to review and assess the activities of DHS related to risk analysis."
"Throughout, however, the committee was mindful of its chief objective: to help DHS by critiquing and providing advice on improving the risk informed basis for decision making across the department."
Does that sound like an objective "risk assessment" review to you?
The NYPD is targeting over 300 people for alleged gun violence using yet another assessment program called the "Intelligence Violence Assessment Reduction Plan."
A cursory web search reveals many if not all of the "committee members" found on page 6 have close ties to DHS, see examples below.
- A woman VP at BAE systems which has close ties to DHS, click here, here & here to find out more.
- A man from Ramboll Environ which has close ties to DHS, click here, here & here to find out more.
- A woman who works for Exponent Engineering & Scientific Consulting which has close ties to DHS, click here, here & here to read more.
- A woman working for Allstate Insurance company which has close ties to DHS, click here, here & here to read more.
- The owner of Countermeasures Assessment & Security Experts who was AMTRAK's chief of police. Click here, here & here to see how AMTRAK is part of DHS. AMTRAK requires ANYONE travelling in the U.S. to provide a picture ID!
The American police state is giving individuals and your home risk assessments! Is this the America you want?