Privacy questions stall 'spy satellite' plans

Score one for the skeptics on the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

Under fire from politicians citing privacy worries, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is delaying plans--previously slated to kick in Monday--to begin making detailed spy-satellite images available to a wider range of government agencies.

A Wall Street Journal report in August first revealed publicly that the agency planned on October 1 to open what it has dubbed the National Applications Office (NAO), drawing a rash of questions from politicians who complained they had been left out of the discussion. (Homeland Security has maintained, however, that it did brief congressional intelligence and appropriations committee members on the plans.)

The NAO is described as a "clearinghouse" for what the Bush administration anticipates will be a broader set of requests--particularly by law enforcement, border security and other domestic homeland security agencies--to tap into feeds from powerful satellites that have largely collected data for scientific or military purposes in the past.

Now the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee is reporting that Homeland Security won't be opening the office as scheduled after all.

That committee in September held a lengthy hearing on the topic, where several members, particularly on the Democratic side, voiced concern that Homeland Security hasn't presented a clear enough legal framework for how the program will operate and how privacy and civil liberties will be protected.

Committee leaders formally asked officials to suspend its rollout until they'd received satisfactory information in writing. Last week, they went a step further, asking a key committee controlling congressional spending to execute the archetypal congressional dis: denying the program funding until their questions were answered.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who heads the Homeland Security committee, said in a statement Monday that he was pleased to hear the agency was delaying the effort's rollout. But he said so far the committee has so far encountered only "silence" in response to its requests for information and urged the agency to deliver the requested response soon.

Homeland Security department representatives didn't immediately respond to interview requests on Monday seeking further details about what happens next.

[lingsun]

Democrats want to protect terrorists, drug dealers, and criminals.

Their "privacy" argument is a joke. I don't think the Bush administration is interested in how many trees I have in my back yard or how big my swimming pool is.

[Save_Me_from_my_Govt]

Oh pulllleeeeze....

Democrats want to protect the American people from the Bush administrations incessant shreading of the Constitution.

I'm not doing anything that I need to worry about the government knowing, but give me a break...This is about government intrusion--NOT the "Democrats wanting to protect terrorists...[ad nauseum]"

But you stick to the right-wing talking-points very well...

[mikeinkansas]

Agreed, this could be very valuable

The Chinese, North Koreans, and a host of smaller countries have clearly demonstrated that this type of surveillance can effectively serve domestic / internal security interests; I find it disheartening that the lefties in the US are content to see us fall behind our enemies in one more area.

[inachu]

I can see many privacy concerns

nude beaches would be abused the most durring break time at the CIA and NSA.