News: How Homeland Security impacts tech

The final bill prohibits the Justice Department's proposed citizen-informant program called TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System) and rejects "the development of a national identification system or card." But privacy advocates and civil libertarians remain worried about the negative consequences of such a sweeping reorganization of law enforcement functions with little oversight.

In a statement calling for more supervision of law enforcement practices, the Center for Democracy and Technology said the plan "raises serious concerns about the privacy of Americans" by granting the government "substantial--and potentially invasive--authorities to compile, analyze and mine the personal information of millions of Americans."

Technology companies, on the other hand, praised the plan, which promises to be a cash cow for businesses that develop security products.
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