A recently updated report from the Congressional Research Service addresses data mining — what it is, what it can and cannot do, and some of the controversies that have arisen around it.
(The CRS report was issued before recent reporting by Newsweek on the “Topsail” data mining program, and by the Christian Science Monitor on the “Advise” program. H/T to DefenseTech.org.)
A copy of the CRS report was obtained by Secrecy News.
See “Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview,” updated January 27, 2006.
The public rarely sees the quiet, often messy work that goes into creating, passing, and implementing a major piece of legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act.
If this proposed rule were enacted it would have deleterious effects on government workers in general and federal researchers and scientists, specifically.
When we introduce “at-will” employment to government employees, we also introduce the potential for environments where people are more concerned about self-preservation than service to others.
There is no better time to re-invigorate America’s innovation edge by investing in R&D to create and capture “industries of the future,” re-shoring capital and expertise, and working closely with allies to expand our capabilities while safeguarding those technologies that are critical to our security.