World-News

Boston Globe
by Carol Rose & Michael German

05/12/09

Information is power and law enforcement seems hungry for both. A recent report that police in Massachusetts pried into personal information about movie stars and sports heroes by trolling the Criminal Offender Record Information system is the latest example of the abuse that occurs when police and other government agencies have unchecked power to collect, use, and even share personal data about citizens. This kind of abuse doesn’t stop with the stars, and it doesn’t stop with CORI. The misuse of law enforcement databases, as reported by the state auditor, can have serious consequences for ordinary residents as well as celebrities. Unmonitored access to poorly regulated databases gives power to local law enforcement to pry into and share information about innocent people and potential criminals alike...

http://tinyurl.com/o448zm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=police+database
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=snooping
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=law+enforcement