View Full Version : Wired: ATF wants 'Massive' Online Database to Find Out Who Your Friends Are
The ATF Wants 'Massive' Online Database to Find Out Who Your Friends Are | Danger Room | Wired.com
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/04/atf-database/
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Moose-Knuckle
04-06-13, 14:05
BATFE should just wheel their chair up to their counterparts at the NSA, they've been at it for AT LEAST the last seven years.
Whistle-Blower Outs NSA/AT&T Spy Room
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/04/70619
The government wants one big giant searchable database to pull up info on individuals, including electronic communications. I have no doubt that that will ultimately, within the next couple of decades, include previously private medical data. It is the main reason they're pushing a broadly applied Electronic Health Record, I suspect. Currently there are substantial monetary incentives for physicians who meet their timeline targets for implementation of such an EHR (this year, they're paying $18,000 to each such physician). Beginning in 2016, they start assessing penalties for those who don't. HIPPA still applies these days, but that could be easily overturned by legislation for those getting their healthcare on the government's dime. Which will eventually be everyone, if their vision ultimately gets fulfilled.
Moose-Knuckle
04-06-13, 16:10
The government wants one big giant searchable database to pull up info on individuals, including electronic communications. I have no doubt that that will ultimately, within the next couple of decades, include previously private medical data. It is the main reason they're pushing a broadly applied Electronic Health Record, I suspect.
Already in the works, well at least its collection point . . .
The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/
Already in the works, well at least its collection point . . .
The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/
Yes. I didn't see that they're including health records, but I think we can assume.
Moose-Knuckle
04-06-13, 16:31
Yes. I didn't see that they're including health records, but I think we can assume.
I would say that is a safe assumption, regrettably.
Facebook and other social sites will be/are integrated into one system plus all other electronic systems.
Somehow there would need to be a "feeder" network using one's SSN cross-linked to one's DL and credit cards, bank records, etc.
I'd say that is "easy" and is VERY PROBABLY already operating.
Facebook and other social sites will be/are integrated into one system plus all other electronic systems.
Somehow there would need to be a "feeder" network using one's SSN cross-linked to one's DL and credit cards, bank records, etc.
I'd say that is "easy" and is VERY PROBABLY already operating.
You don't think that info on sites like this one are being used as well?
They already have it, Facebook. They already know what you search and look up, its called Google.
Yes Google monitors your cookies. Why do you think all the ads have something to do with what you like???? Seriously. Do multiple searches for running shoes and you'll begin to see shoe/running apparal ads on the websites you visit. Fun stuff.
Its all part of the matrix. I mean come on, they need to know who's going to be sent to the FEMA " re-education summer camps"....duh.
Two cents on this:
Facebook - the most repressive police state could not hope to collect the sort of data that people voluntarily post online about themselves and their associates. No freedom loving person should have an active facebook account. At the most, you should have only a very basic account with limited information just for appearances.
Medical Records - Oh, maybe one day they will have an integrated medical data base, but I can tell you from first hand experience, even the DoD cannot integrate their medical data bases. Every branch has it's own database and they do not talk to each other. The VA has a completely different system and your electronic records from active duty to not populate into the VA system. You have to manually enroll in the VA. Yeah, let me know when the govt figures out electronic medical records. I will eat my hat.
Medical Records - Oh, maybe one day they will have an integrated medical data base, but I can tell you from first hand experience, even the DoD cannot integrate their medical data bases. Every branch has it's own database and they do not talk to each other. The VA has a completely different system and your electronic records from active duty to not populate into the VA system. You have to manually enroll in the VA. Yeah, let me know when the govt figures out electronic medical records. I will eat my hat.
Yeah. That's what I said. A couple of decades.
The same problem exists in the civilian medical sector. The government is currently providing significant incentives (positive and negative) for hospitals to implement electronic health records and significant monetary incentives to physicians for using them (I should be getting a check for $18,000 from the Feds any day now). We're really just on the threshold of that and there's no real interoperability between the various systems at various institutions, nor with government systems other than billing software. Furthermore, relative to information sharing, there's HIPPA. It's illegal to release or share patient information without their permission, so doctors aren't giving the government any confidential patient information. That doesn't mean they aren't just hacking in and taking it if they feel the need.
Some future Congress could easily just do away with HIPPA and when EHRs mature, previously private health becomes easily searchable as part of the government's giant database where they can look up your criminal record, your driving record, your mortgage info, and the date of your last colonoscopy with just a couple of keystrokes.
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Yeah. That's what I said. A couple of decades.
The same problem exists in the civilian medical sector. The government is currently providing significant incentives (positive and negative) for hospitals to implement electronic health records and significant monetary incentives to physicians for using them (I should be getting a check for $18,000 from the Feds any day now). We're really just on the threshold of that and there's no real interoperability between the various systems at various institutions, nor with government systems other than billing software. Furthermore, relative to information sharing, there's HIPPA. It's illegal to release or share patient information without their permission, so doctors aren't giving the government any confidential patient information. That doesn't mean they aren't just hacking in and taking it if they feel the need.
Some future Congress could easily just do away with HIPPA and when EHRs mature, previously private health becomes easily searchable as part of the government's giant database where they can look up your criminal record, your driving record, your mortgage info, and the date of your last colonoscopy with just a couple of keystrokes.
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If you're very worried about this, let me suggest that you and I become watchdogs that HIPAA never gets overturned, but EHRs are a demand of time. As an example, just last week I had an 81yo patient sit in the hospital for an idle 28 hours (I counted) until I got faxed her med records. I witnessed literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars wasted on repeated tests, idle hospital days etc because of lack of fast info transfer. On the other hand, I also enjoy a system wide integrated EHR and imaging network that effectively covers our whole state and leads to superb efficiency, minimal waste, and improved safety. EHRs are an absolutely positive thing, as long as privacy is protected.
More thoughts on this....
Yes, on the surface it all sounds very scary, however, keep in mind that our intelligence agencies function more like the DMV - not the KGB.
Inefficiency, bureaucracy, compartmentalization, laziness, lack of manpower, and 'convention wisdom' are the norm. Yeah, they may collect a whole lot data but will they be able to process and analyze it? Will they actually share and integrate this data? Who will have access to it? Will they even know how to use this database? We are over 10 years past the 911 Commission Report and most of the recommendations have not been implemented.
If you're very worried about this, let me suggest that you and I become watchdogs that HIPAA never gets overturned, but EHRs are a demand of time. As an example, just last week I had an 81yo patient sit in the hospital for an idle 28 hours (I counted) until I got faxed her med records. I witnessed literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars wasted on repeated tests, idle hospital days etc because of lack of fast info transfer. On the other hand, I also enjoy a system wide integrated EHR and imaging network that effectively covers our whole state and leads to superb efficiency, minimal waste, and improved safety. EHRs are an absolutely positive thing, as long as privacy is protected.
I'm not very worried about it. HIPPA is fine in concept but like most government mandates it goes way beyond the necessary scope. The ethics of my profession demand discretion and confidentiality. Now we have a whole set of rules that are arcane by design, and worse, have imposed interpretation by a wide range of lawyers, government functionaries and bureaucrats, who have no concept of the practice of medicine.
As to EHRs, a mixed bag. Time consuming to use, but worse, designed around a series of checkboxes, more often than not representing, at best, incomplete information. They don't typically let me understand what a referring doctor is thinking, just his/her entry of a checkbox from a drop-down menu that is only close. I realize that EHRs need time to mature, and I acknowledge that they're a necessary evil as they currently exist, but I dislike being a beta tester for such software when I have patients waiting, or I need more complete information than the record can provide me. And that's setting aside the expense in terms of software, hardware, and additional personnel. From my perspective as primarily a consultant, I don't see them as an "absolutely positive thing", rather a "necessary evil" that has the promise of efficiency that has yet to be fully realized.
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As to EHRs, a mixed bag. Time consuming to use, but worse, designed around a series of checkboxes, more often than not representing, at best, incomplete information. They don't typically let me understand what a referring doctor is thinking, just his/her entry of a checkbox from a drop-down menu that is only close. I realize that EHRs need time to mature, and I acknowledge that they're a necessary evil as they currently exist, but I dislike being a beta tester for such software when I have patients waiting, or I need more complete information than the record can provide me. And that's setting aside the expense in terms of software, hardware, and additional personnel. From my perspective as primarily a consultant, I don't see them as an "absolutely positive thing", rather a "necessary evil" that has the promise of efficiency that has yet to be fully realized.
Most EHRs unfortunately are made to reflect accurate billing/coding and not accurate recording of pertinent medical information. I trained at UNC - Chapel Hill, where the IT department came up with its own EMR system. The interface and ability to generate notes that actual fit into a legible format that conveys information were fantastic. Unfortunately it was not compatible with the new requirements for patient portals, etc and ultimately was scrapped in favor of Epic....ughh.
Most EHRs unfortunately are made to reflect accurate billing/coding and not accurate recording of pertinent medical information. I trained at UNC - Chapel Hill, where the IT department came up with its own EMR system. The interface and ability to generate notes that actual fit into a legible format that conveys information were fantastic. Unfortunately it was not compatible with the new requirements for patient portals, etc and ultimately was scrapped in favor of Epic....ughh.
Don't get me started on Notes. Then, when we said "sorry, gotta dictate", they gave us Dragon. Now we're back to dictating.
Don't get me started on Notes. Then, when we said "sorry, gotta dictate", they gave us Dragon. Now we're back to dictating.
I actually prefer dictating. The new Dragon software is really good once it is accustomed to your speech. I much prefer it to typing.
Perhaps just 30 seconds of research would reveal just exactly what it is that BATFE wants and not some new, super-duper privacy invasion bullshit. There should be some kind of M4C punishment for bandwidth theft for putting this kind of crap in GD. They are looking for a new case management system. All case management systems are database derived. You put data in, you get data out. All of the legacy Treasury agencies are all looking for, or are developing new case management systems. They reason for this is multi-fold. At one time there were many agencies under Treasury, that now are under different agencies; Customs, ATF, IRS, and USSS are just a few, now these agencies have been re-aligned under other agencies, or have been left orphaned since the creation of DHS. Long before the creation of DHS ant the separation of these agencies a replacement was being sought for their shared case management system/database, TECS, or the Treasury Enforcement Communication System, as TECS is a mainframe based system, and a Windows/GUI based replacement has been sought and in various versions of development since 1999. Now that the Treasury functions have been shot out to the wind, everyone needs something different and all are looking for a system of their own. The shame in this is going to be the loss in shared data. For privacy advocates this is a boon, as there are going to be a dozen individual case management/Databases that don't talk to each other, instead of one, all-powerful program.
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