American Stasi: Fusion Centers and Domesitc Spying

Forty-five days after Islamic extremists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; the “USA Patriot Act” sailed through Congress. At the time, most Americans believed that this sweeping legislation targeted international terrorism.

Instead, federal, state, and local governments saw this crisis as an opportunity to marginalize the civil liberties of all Americans by creating a nationwide surveillance state powered by the equipment, software, and stored-data of over 1,900 private sector corporations. Some security analysts estimate that these newly created ‘intelligence fusion centers’ cost taxpayers $380 to $500 billion, although—because the activities of these domestic spy operations remain classified—even seasoned government officials do not know the actual total.

“American Stasi: Fusion Centers and Domestic Spying” is an excellent magazine expose´ that examines some of the technologies the surveillance state employs to monitor Americans’ day-to-day activities. Whether it is following a particular person in real time, using 3-D facial recognition to ascertain an individual’s identity, or quickly determining a family’s net worth, Big Brother is watching 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week from strategic locations throughout the United States.

“This is scary, eye-opening stuff,” said Steve Spingola, a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide detective, “and I would not classify myself as a civil libertarian.”