Pentagon To Power Down Spy Database

The Department of Defense is planning to shut down a controversial database intended to collect information on threats to domestic military bases that soon became populated with intel reports on peaceful protest groups, according to news reports. Government sunshine requests from the American Civil Liberties Union revealed that 186 domestic anti-war protests were labeled as threats in the TALON database. That database is run by the secret and scandal-plagued Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), a domestic spying entity created sometime after 9/11.

CIFA played a key role in the MZM scandal that sent Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham to prison for 8 years for taking bribes in exchange for helping defense contractors. The change comes from the new Pentagon intelligence chief James Clapper, who reports to the new Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The decision to scuttle the database could be the first step in a broad overhaul of Pentagon intelligence activities under Mr. Gates, who has made public his distaste for some intelligence initiatives begun by his predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld.

A senior department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because Mr. Gates has not made any final decisions, said Mr. Clapper was concerned about the negative publicity surrounding the Talon database and told Mr. Gates that the Pentagon could find other ways to assess threats to military installations.

Turns out that Noah at DANGER ROOM was on this yesterday. Pentagon Intelligence Chief Proposes Ending a Database from the NY Times

Photo: Stefanx80