IT and the Government !

Fathers of the Info Age

Vannever Bush Built an analogue computer Big science begins with WWII Radar, proximity fuses, Manhattan project Anti-aircraft programs, ENIAC DARPA

Internet, GPS

Norbert Weiner -definer of termsThe world is made up of matter,

energy and information.Cybernetics - the study of messages

as a means of controlling information and society.

“ A society can only be understood through a study of the messages and communication facilities that belong to it. “

“Information is a name for the content of what is exchanged with the outer world as we adjust to it and make our adjustments felt upon it.”

“Messages are a form of pattern and organization.” (Noise vs. signal on a telephone line)

“Just as entropy as a measure of disorganization, the information carried by a set of messages is a measure of organization.”

“Control of a machine as the basis of its actual performance rather than its expected performance is known as feedback.”

“Speech is a joint game by the talker and the listener against the forces of confusion.”

Wiener, N., The Human Use of Human Beings, Cybernetics and Society.

Big science and math concepts lay the foundation.

Implementation of IT Tools

IT first used for back office functions Accounting, billing, payroll

Second stage Data collection and management Data queries Statistical analysis (census,economic

forecasting) Data base matching - linking data bases The root word in statistics is “state”.

Implementation

Third stage -dissemination of information.

Fourth Stage - interagency and citizen interaction.

Implementation

Governmental transparency Rumsfeld, Gingrich, Gore

FOIA - RumsfeldThomas - Gingrich

An example of disintermediationNPR - Gore

NPR

National Performance Review (1993)- Leads to GPRA

Goals was to lay the groundwork for “new customer and client oriented ways for agencies to engage citizens via technology”.

Clinger-Cohen Act - establishes a CIO in every agency and made agencies responsible for developing an IT plan.

Data Quality Act of 2000

Directs OMB to ensure the quality, objectivity and integrity of info disseminated by federal agencies

Disclose data used to support regulations and decisions

Open up models

Models (DSMs)

A computer program.“A model is a likeness that captures

some aspect of the theory modeled”Map - a space organizing structure.Script - a time organizing structure.The processor evolves the memory.

Examples in handoutBut “the map is not the territory”.Garbage in garbage out.Data Quality Act “expands a new

subterranean battlefield in administrative law

… one in which the scent of future regulation is caught by stakeholders who then battle to shape the scientific facts on which future regulation is based…

“Best available science” or science as spin.

IPCC’s black box.

Command and Control

DSMs Olympia Court What are the equations? How is risk calculated?

Child Support Enforcement

Data base matching and data mining to support a policy initiative.

Burnham D., The Rise of the Computer State.

In 1974 Congress established a nationwide parent locator service.

Required states to set up AFDC investigative and enforcement services.

In 1980 Calif. linked child support data base to state tax refund data base to divert refunds.

Then created direct electronic links to DMV, Employment Development Board, criminal justice data bases.

During its second year 117,000 tax refunds were diverted (over $10 million).

“Last year (1982) we received 230,876 locator requests. We were able to provide information such as an address in 62% of the cases.”

Fed official; States asked us for information on 200,000. We put those names on tapes and periodically submitted them to the IRS, Social Security Admin., Defense Dept., V.A. and the National Personnel Record Center.

The IRS has been authorized to withhold refunds. In 1982 the IRS used its computer to prevent the distribution of $168 million to 275,479 delinquent parents.

“But the worst consequence would probably be to develop a national caste system of unemployables.” (referring to NCIS)

His Name was Tom/Tyrone

Differential processing of claims and false positives.

Public vs. Private processing of claim.Differential processing.

Blacks; 70% out of wedlock births, lower income

Whites; 30% out of wedlock, higher income

His Name was Tom/Tyrone?

False positives.Liability based upon a probability of a

match. A 60% probability threshold?What’s the frequency distribution?No due process. Burden is on

defendant to disprove finding.Loss of license.No redemption.

Architecture is Destiny

“Embedded rules in software applications subtly but clearly identify the aspects of tasks that are discretionary”.

“Information-based organizations thus codify knowledge and inculcate habits in a somewhat different but much more powerful manner than traditional bureaucracies.”

“Within computer programs and operating systems, the choices made by designers standardize work processes by limiting, or preprocessing, the options and choices of users, and by forcing users to follow decision trees and paths by using the menus and formats provided.”

Managing the info architecture means managing the org. because the architectures control the decision premises of all the members. Data definitions Data standardization Metadata

GISMost large police depts. now use GIS

to display crime by district. For investigations and staff assignment.

Data bases linked to map based coordinates. Vector or raster architectures. Land surveys Salmon surveys.

Surveillance - 1993

The Clipper chip - a response to PGP.“A state of the art microcircuit”

developed by the govt. to “help protect proprietary info.” while preserving the ability of the govt. to intercept phone conversations of criminals.

“A key escrow system will be established to ensure the chip is used to protect the privacy of law abiding Americans.”

Carnivore and Son of Carnivore - Janet Reno’s idea that leads to TIA and NSA intercepts

Packet sniffing is a technique of monitoring every packet that crosses a network. A piece of software or hardware that monitors all network traffic.

Carnivore is part of the Dragonware suite. Includes Packeteer and Cool Miner.

Carnivore is a software based tool used to examine all IP packets on an Ethernet and records those packets that meet specific parameters.

Coolminer and Packeteer are postprocessing programs.

Packeteer reconstructs packets into messages

Coolminer analyzes the packet data that Packeteer assembles and develops statistical summaries. Then it can display pen register or full content.

Pen register - user name and headers. (addressing info)

Carnivore can be set for specific text strings. For example a setting could be made to detect all packets from a specific address that contains the text string “FBI”.

Surveillance - Now

RFIDs - The Internet of Things First used during WWII to differentiate

between friend and foe aircraft. Replacement for Barcode in inventory

management. (provides more data: see handout)

Keys - antilock protection Passive, active and smart cards Verichip

Profiling functions to create a picture of a person’s private affairs or to attempt to predict future activities by aggregating a person’s movements or transactions over a period of time.

Verichip

Choicepoint

Collects and sells data on individuals that include the following categories: claims history, DMV records, police records, credit info and modeling, employment background screenings, drug testing records, public record searches, vital records searches, etc.

Calif. Identity Info. Protection Act Replace passive RFID with smart cards. Include security so holders can decide

who can access the info. Give people info about the technology

and location of readers. Make it illegal too read personal RFID

info, w/o person’s knowledge or consent.

Olympia wireless network - A dual use technology? Wireless video Plate matching

Concerns/Speculations

Age of Embedded Logic Data definitions and standards limit

options that are considered.Changes in Google search algorithm.

Does IT undermine or enhance existing power?Disintermediation (Thomas)More surveillance and control of marginalized

people.

There is no privacy.But government is more transparent.