U.S. Self-Spying Program Shelved

A controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program in the U.S. that involved employing spy satellites for domestic surveillance purposes has currently been put on hold. The move came amid concerns from a section of U.S. lawmakers regarding the impact of the move on individual privacy.

The program was scheduled to start this month, and had already received Congressional funding. However, not all lawmakers were apparently in favor of the program. It had polarized lawmakers in the U.S. into two camps – those in favor of the move and those who were uneasy about its overall impact.

In fact, questions from this latter section of lawmakers regarding certain key issues related to the program, such as the legal aspect and also the safeguarding of individual privacy, were the reason for its postponement until there were adequate answers to all the questions raised.

Under the aegis of the new program, the DHS would have opened a new office, the National Applications Office, which would be the liaison for satellite data requests from various internal government agencies. Basically, the National Applications Office would have legalized the use of America’s spy satellites, which are generally used for spying on foreign countries, for internal spying purposes.

There would definitely have been benefits had the program been implemented. These benefits would have included improved security in the border regions, better policing, more efficient emergency management by federal officials, as well as better counter-terrorism measures.

However, the dangers associated with such a program are too apparent to be ignored. There is at first notice the possibility of government agencies violating citizens’ privacy rights by looking into their personal lives, which would have been legally possible with the new program. Democrat members of the congressional oversight committee voiced their concerns regarding the program, and hence the postponement.

Currently, the plan is to have the program on hold until such time as when the DHS is able to satisfactorily answer all the concerns raised regarding the program. In a letter to the chairman of the congressional committee on Homeland Security, the Chief Intelligence Officer of DHS, Charles Allen, has mentioned that the department would not make the program operative until all questions were answered.

While the DHS has not mentioned when it was actually going to make the program operative or what the time frame for the postponement was, a department spokesman said they were confident this program would not be permanently shelved.

On another level, the concerns raised regarding this new program seem unfounded, considering there already exist processes that enable the use of spy satellites against areas within the U.S., under the aegis of the Civil Applications Committee. All the new program would do is provide easier and smoother access along with better oversight.