The Department of Homeland Security has postponed plans for an office that would oversee domestic spy satellites, after members of the U.S. House of Representatives raised concerns about privacy.
The House Committee on Homeland Security announced Monday that the DHS would delay the opening of a new National Applications Office. The Committee issued a statement explaining that the moratorium is just the first step in ensuring that privacy, civil liberties, and the U.S. Constitution are protected with the opening of the office.
U.S. defense agencies use satellite imagery to monitor natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. But the DNS said it would also like to expand the use of satellites to help national security and law enforcement officials combat crime.
The Committee asked for an opportunity to review the NAO’s written legal framework, offer comments, and shape procedures and protocols.
In related developments, new images of the NRO’s Lacrosse satellite, acquired by British amateur observer John Locker, reportedly show the secret craft in unprecedented detail.
Super RFID technology uses long-range radar responsive (RR) tags. Originally, the active 430 MHz tags were designed using technology derived from a radar device requiring line-of-sight for reading. Since then, Sandia has modified the technology to its current form, which employs RFID to transmit ID numbers instead of radar. Whether “chipped” individuals could be interrogated by space radar like Lacrosse is unknown.
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