ACLU Seeking FOIA to See FBI Data Mining, Mapping Efforts

The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking records from 29 states and the District of Columbia about the “collection and use of race and ethnicity data in local communities.” The ACLU is raising concerns about data collection and mapping based on the 2008 “FBI Domestic Intelligence and Operations Guide” that activity. The ACLU describes the activities as inviting unconstitutional racial profiling by law enforcement.”

FBI Director Robert Mueller described the value of mapping in a November 2008 speech to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

It allows us to combine and visually map crime data from a multitude of agencies—everything from shootings to sources, and from outstanding warrants to open investigations. Visual mapping shows us our domain. It reveals connections among our cases we might not otherwise see. And it helps us better manage our resources.

This reminds me of the LAPD mapping of Muslim communities (APB covearge: 1, 2). That did not go over well.
- CNN