Susanne Posel
Occupy Corporatism
January 16, 2013
In 2003, mainstream media reported that the Department of Defense was receiving software for the Joint Protective Enterprise Network (JPEN) under directives from Oracle’s Homeland Security Program Office.
Oracle was paid $15 million to supply this system to military bases across the nation. JPEN would facilitate the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); as well as connecting hospitals, air traffic control centers, nuclear power plant operators and police and fire departments.
Six years later, the DHS renegotiated contracts with Oracle. Under consolidation, DHS took 487,000 licenses, software and maintenance agreements from Microsoft; as well “unlimited” licenses between Oracle and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Department of Defense (DoD) are using biometrics to fight terrorism, catalogue active duty troops and maintain national security interests. The Biometrics Identity Management Agency (BIMA) utilizes biometrics to “identify the enemy” and verify individuals to ensure secure business and governmental functions.
The US Department of State Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) has more than 90 million people’s photographs data based with the continuous use of the Department of Facial Recognition Software. The US Department of Homeland Security Automated Biometric Identification System tracks an estimated 250,000 biometric communications a day. Over 126 million fingerprints, photographs and biographical information are filed for the US government to use at their discretion.
Oracle Corporation was founded by Larry Ellison pushed for his company to become the premiere software option for the US to ensure digital national security. Ellison was integral in the introduction of identification cards. The Oracle 9i database management software is now used by the federal government for national security by various undisclosed agencies.
The National ID card by Oracle would establish “a standard and secure national identifier, we could ensure that any system that chose to use it could effectively share information with other systems that use it.”
Ellison showed off a prototype of a National ID card at the National Press club in 2001 that included a picture, fingerprint and other digital controls to ensure security. He believed that the US government “could phase in digital ID cards to replace existing Social Security cards and driver’s licenses. These new IDs should be based on a uniform standard such as credit card technology, which is harder to counterfeit than existing government IDs.”
In 2007, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) fought against the National ID card and the REAL ID Act which turned state issued IDs and driver’s licences into biometric identifiers embued with digital information for “official purposes”, according to DHS.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was using a biometric ID system called INSPASS – at the time for security at border checks. INSPASS lacked a central database. Instead, fingerprints were stored on individual ID smartcards that were scanned at the borders and cross referenced with the individual crossing at the time.
The Biometric Database Law, originated in Israel, determines fingerprints and facial recognition software use to collect data on Israeli citizens as justified by decree of the Israeli government. This data is used for identification purposes by law enforcement and governmental agencies to deter criminal activity. However the Israeli government collects massive amounts of data on its citizens that violate their inherent right to privacy.
Israeli residents are subject to biometric tracking through passports and identification cards.
Biometric identification cards are expected to become the standard beginning in 2014 as outlined in an agreement signed by President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2011. This allows for the sharing of digital information for the sake of improving border crossing, yet actually sets up an international database to collect information on citizens of both countries.
Biometric border crossing cards (BCCs) have been used to identify Mexican citizens making short visits since 1997 with the approval of the Congress and in conjunction with the US State Department who employed DynCorp who is now owned by CSC.
Advancements in BBCs have led to laser visas which are “machine-readable, credit-card-sized documents with digitally encoded biometric data, including the bearer’s photograph and fingerprint.”
Those in the program were fingerprinted and photographed with their information entered into biometric databases with electronic verification of authenticity. Files were reviewed by the State Department. Once approved, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the individuals new laser visas.
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