MATRIX (Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange) describes itself as "a pilot effort to increase and enhance the exchange of sensitive terrorism and other criminal activity information between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies." Created by a private company for the state of Florida after 9/11, it had 16 states participating at one time, but most have since withdrawn. Privacy is one concern, according to a 3/15/04 article in the New York Times. Privacy Fears Erode Support for a Network to Fight Crime
Supporters of MATRIX had expected that the number of participating states would increase, but the number has instead shrunk to five as of last week. Among those expressing concern over privacy and seeking more information about the workings of the system are the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), says the Times.
See MATRIX's FAQ.
See also ACLU's 3/11/04 feature on MATRIX, including links to FOIA requests and documents received in response.
Posted by dougsimpson at March 15, 2004 06:36 AM | TrackBack