Investigative Data Warehouse

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The Investigative Data Warehouse, or IDW, is a searchable database operated by the FBI. It was created in 2004. Much of the nature and scope of the database is classified. The database is a centralization of multiple federal and state databases, including criminal records from various law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and public records databases. According to Michael Morehart's testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services in 2006, the "IDW is a centralized, web-enabled, closed system repository for intelligence and investigative data. This system, maintained by the FBI, allows appropriately trained and authorized personnel throughout the country to query for information of relevance to investigative and intelligence matters."[1]

The size of the database appears to be growing rapidly. In 2004, according to a government solicitation for bids to manage the project, it was approximately 10TB in size. In 2005, according to one FBI official, the IDW contained approximately 100 million documents. In 2006 it contained more than 560 million documents and was accessible by more than 12,000 individuals. According to the FBI's website, as of August 22, 2007, the database contained 700 million records from 53 databases and was accessible by 13,000 individuals around the world

As of 2007, the FBI is the subject of a lawsuit brought by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) because of a lack of public notice describing the database and the criteria for including personal information, as required by the Privacy Act of 1974. The lawsuits are a result of two Freedom of Information Act requests filed by the EFF in 2006.

[edit] References

Sources consulted
  • Morehart, Michael F.A., May 26, 2005: "Statement of Michael F.A. Morehart, Section Chief, Terrorist Financing Operations Section, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Before the House Committee on Financial Services", online testimony at FBI.gov
  • EFF, October 17, 2006: "EFF Sues for Information on Huge FBI Database of Personal Information: 'Investigative Data Warehouse' Includes Hundreds of Millions of Entries", online press release at EFF.org
  • Network World, 17 October 2006: "EFF files lawsuit to gain information on FBI database", [2]
  • The Washington Post, 30 August 2006: "FBI Shows Off Counterterrorism Database",

Washington Post]

Endnotes
  1. ^ Morehart 2005, op. cit.