Index

Information Vampires

Like “Total Information Awareness” before it, PRISM is withering in the very slight ray of sunlight that has been shown on it.  This is the nature of “black” programs - like vampires, they cannot survive contact with sunlight.  They also share a couple of other distinguishing characteristics with vampires - they don’t die, and they suck our life-blood constantly and in a damaging manner.

Since it is becoming politically expedient to dispose of PRISM, has anyone thought to ask what is going to happen to PRISM’s huge server farms and the manpower that maintains them, the specialists that analyze its output?  The money that funds all of it, the life-blood of government?  Anybody willing to bet on them going away?  I’ll take your money.  Ain’t happening.  What happened to TIA?  Well, the stake seems to have missed its heart, since it reappeared as PRISM.  Didn’t even slow down, just changed the license plate and kept on driving, pedal to the metal.

Somebody needs to start a pool on how long before it reappears again.  Perhaps the NSA needs to (secretly, of course) have a contest to rename it in the most deceptive way possible.  Perhaps hide it in the Department of Health and Human Services as an economics analysis program that never produces any useful results?  That is a time-honored approach, certainly.

I doubt anyone has a stake big enough to kill this vampire - Buffy has left the building.