Technology aids terrorism fight

In a pair of new reports, a Washington think tank is pushing for governments to use advanced technologies in fighting terrorism and improving homeland security.

The technologies would allow law enforcement and public safety agencies to improve safety and security not only from terrorists but also from the more common threats faced by agencies that respond to such incidents, according to reports released Jan. 18 by the Progressive Policy Institute's Technology and New Economy Project.

PPI is a policy group affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council.

In "Using Technology to Detect and Prevent Terrorism," authors Shane Ham and Robert Atkinson provide specific examples of IT applications to upgrade the nation's ability to stop terrorists before they strike. The applications are:

* Improved data sharing between government agencies at all levels, including wireless access for police officers to criminal and terrorist watch list databases.

* Smart ID cards issued by state motor vehicle departments with biometric identifiers and standardized data features for preventing forgery and fraud.

* Smart visas and improved border security to identify visitors and better track their entry and exit.

* Digital surveillance applying rules and oversight long used for wiretaps to the Internet and other modern communications technologies.

* Face recognition technology to detect known terrorists and criminals as they move through crowds at events, such as the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Such technologies can be deployed with strong legal protections that can help protect privacy, according to the authors.

State and local governments need to develop coordinated plans and use establish specific types of databases to ensure they can effectively respond to terrorist threats to public safety, according to a related PPI report also released Jan. 18.

In "The State and Local Role in Domestic Defense," authors John Cohen and John Hurson lay out an agenda for state and local government to modernize their systems to prepare themselves for emergencies of all kinds, including terrorist attacks.

The authors call upon state and local governments to launch integrated justice data systems, integrate emergency response communications, establish coordinated biological and chemical attack systems and find ways for the public to get information without jamming 911.

PPI's Technology and New Economy Project seeks to educate federal, state and local policy makers about what drives the New Economy and to foster policies that promote technological advances, economic innovation, investment and entrepreneurship