# TIA - Total Information Awareness - Big Brother and YOU! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 11, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024 "2002-12-11T16:24:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/1 "2002-12-11T16:24:28Z")
So, how does it feel to have a convicted felon in charge of finding out EVERYTHING about you (OK, Poindexter was let off because of/ in exchange for his testimony, but he was convicted)? And he gets to determine when you should be singled out as a ‘potential terrorist threat’. Great… I’ve been reading a few articles on this TIA thing for the past few days…and, um, I’m a little scared. The DARPA site is (interestingly) down…but Goggle’s cache has it, and so does this [site.](http://allsouthwest.com/tia/) Here are a two other places with reports on it: [Cato](http://www.cato.org/tech/tk/021126-tk.html) [ACLU](http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=11309&c=206) Man, this has the potential to be abused to no end. And I’m betting Poindexter is just the guy to abuse it too. What do y’all think about it? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/2 "2002-12-11T21:33:02Z")
It’s bad. That’s all. And I guess it’s disturbing to me that, just because the govt. CAN do something (observe our every move) makes them think they should be ALLOWED to. I don’t give a f— how easy it makes tracking criminals. Calling the local police station every morning before you go to work so you can tell them exactly where you’re going and what you have planned would make things easier for them, too. Doesn’t mean we should do it. As my wife said, when i told her about TIA, “Why don’t we just put the implants in our hands right now?” ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/3 "2002-12-11T21:36:59Z")
I’d like to know where the heck all the legislators were when this happened? Both sides of the aisle fight over who is the most vigilant guardian of American liberty. Clearly, they are lying sacks of shit. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![BioHazard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@BioHazard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BioHazard)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/4 "2002-12-12T02:26:40Z")
Scary, Scary things. Orwell was only a couple decades off. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/5 "2002-12-12T04:07:34Z")
Compare and Contrast with [http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/04\_7\_1.html](http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/04_7_1.html) The 1974 Privacy Act was a result of the Nixon Whitehouse using the IRS (and other agencies’ records) to target those on Dick’s “Enemies List”. Looks like the list is back, and this time _everybody’s_ on it… Bad guys have known for years to pay cash or use aliases to open financial accounts - so why are we doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/6 "2002-12-12T07:56:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\*I’d like to know where the heck all the legislators were when this happened? Both sides of the aisle fight over who is the most vigilant guardian of American liberty. Clearly, they are lying sacks of shit. :mad: \*\* One report I read stated that the Patriot Act started out as a 50-ish page document, but by the time they voted on it it had become a 450-ish page document…this, and other things, were sandwiched in the middle. Not that that would have stopped anyone from voting for it, mind you… I have to admit, I thought this thread would generate more discussion. With the Teeming Millions mostly being electronically based netizens, recording EVERYTHING they ever say or do would seem to me a scary thought. And I do mean everything- they are talking about Petabytes of storage! (1,000 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte) Sheeps to the slaughter, eh? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/7 "2002-12-12T08:08:11Z")
Oh, if you want to do something about this, you can go to the Electronic Frontiers Foundation site and send an email. There is also more info on this topic there as well. > **[Electronic Frontier Foundation](https://www.eff.org/)** > > Defending your rights in the digital world -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/8 "2002-12-12T17:14:33Z")
> [@](#): > > I have to admit, I thought this thread would generate more discussion. Well, it’s not too surprising. This is “Great Debates.” If no one disagrees with you, there isn’t much of a debate. My next GD topic: “Kicking puppies–an outrage!” ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/9 "2002-12-12T18:44:46Z")
Exactly, **toadspittle** , my outrage is high, but I don’t have anything to say other than, well, “shit!” ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/10 "2002-12-13T12:59:24Z")
I question if that is true, or if apathy reared its ugly head again… ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/11 "2002-12-13T13:27:41Z")
Maybe you could try posting a rant in the Pit, where people can just join in. **toadspittle** and **erislover** are correct about concensus agreement in GD; it just doesn’t make for an active debate. Would you like a hijack? We could turn it into a discussion about the Bush administration’s tactic of rehabilitating discredited individuals from previous Republican admins back into government positions (Poindexter… Abrams… even _Kissinger_ to a peripheral degree…). ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/12 "2002-12-13T14:18:58Z")
What’s the point in debating or saying anything anyway? There’s nothing we can do. It’s not one of those media darling issues, and the Republicans are hell-bent on fighting their War on America I Mean Terrorism. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/13 "2002-12-13T16:50:32Z")
:sigh: Just think, this is a justification now to pragmatically vote for a democratic administration, then the republicans will suddenly have pangs of conscience because that power will be in the hands of an “irresponsible” democrat. I know democrats in congress voted for this, but then also the darling media would have had their heads in a platter, not patriotic to vote against a patriot act you know. I agree this T.I.A. is not a good idea. Since there is no discussion here, I cannot resist pointing this trivia/complaint bit: Leave it to the republicans to ruin yet another entertainment universe. First it was the use of Star Wars for military and ideological points. Now, what is this cartoon administration doing!? Aping a fun cartoon serial that is familiar to many Hispanic readers: Mortadelo and Filemon. [http://www.mortadeloyfilemon.com/club/default.asp](http://www.mortadeloyfilemon.com/club/default.asp) Francisco Ibáñez, created them more than 30 years ago! And they are spies for the bumbling TIA! TIA was a reference not only to the CIA but also to the fictional UNCLE, in Spanish tia means aunt. I guess I will keep this picture in my brains just to keep my mind from depression, knowing that freedoms are being taken away. Get your TIA agent cards now!: [http://www.mortadeloyfilemon.com/club/Carnet.swf](http://www.mortadeloyfilemon.com/club/Carnet.swf) ---
**Author:** ![Swinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Swinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swinger)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/14 "2002-12-13T22:24:13Z")
Just posting to say that I agree that this is a disgusting, frightening development. Unfortunately, it seems that hardly a day goes by nowadays without me hearing about some new government program, policy, or court case that scares the bejeezus out of me. Perhaps next week it will be a press conference with Bush on a stage urinating on the Constitution while laughing maniacally, as a crowd cheers fervently screaming “now we will be safe!”. I normally would have kept my agreement to myself and moved on, but I wanted to try to help Tomcat feel better. 🙂 There are others like you Tomcat, don’t worry. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/15 "2002-12-14T03:45:25Z")
Bush is getting 70 % approval ratings; virtually no one is challenging Bush or the media. ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tia-total-information-awareness-big-brother-and-you/142024/16 "2002-12-14T05:21:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > **What’s the point in debating or saying anything anyway? There’s nothing we can do.** If that’s the way you feel… then you are getting the government you deserve.