From 1984 to Total Information Awareness

Abstract

In April 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed the National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 138: Combating Terrorism, which authorized the increase of intelligence collection directed against groups or states involved in terrorism (1). I was a graduate student at Virginia Tech majoring in computer science with specialization in artificial intelligence (AI).

“Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders, the Goliath of totalitarianism will be brought down by the David of the microchip.”

– President Ronald Reagan (June 1989)

“One of my heroes, Edwin Land of Polaroid, said about the importance of people who could stand at the intersection of humanities and sciences, and I decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

– Apple and Pixar co-founder Steve Jobs (2009)

“We exist at the intersection of technology and social issues.”

– Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (September 2011)

“It’s important to recognize that you can’t have 100% security and also then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience.”

– President Barack Obama (June 2013)

“Understanding who you serve is always a very important problem, and it only gets harder the more people that you serve.”

– Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (April 2014)

“The NSA might still be watching us. But now we can watch them.”

– Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (May 2014)