What do supporters of Ron Paul, Muslim hip hop “fashion boutiques” and the American Civil Liberties Union have in common?
They've all been included in bulletins or reports about potential domestic terrorism threats issued by fusion centers, information-sharing depots designed to pool intelligence compiled by various state, local and federal intelligence agencies, according to a report released Tuesday by The Constitution Project.
The non-profit think tank's report, “Recommendations for Fusion Centers: Protecting Privacy and Civil Liberties while Protecting Against Crime and Terrorism,” highlights potential civil rights violations at many of the nation's 77 fusion centers. Practices criticized by The Constitution Project, which is based in Washington D.C., include racial and religious profiling and data mining.
The report recommends that fusion centers establish guidelines that prohibit profiling; improve training and qualifications; ensure that suspicious activity reports contain only information pertaining to criminal or terrorist threats and conduct regular data audits to confirm that stored information is relevant and legal.
Read the report HERE.