Questions
that Fusion
Centers Should Answer
Presentation to the Privacy Coalition
by Mike
German, ACLU
Questions to Ask Local Officials
Is there a State, local or regional Fusion Center in my area?
Is it located within law enforcement facilities or in other government or
private space?
Who are the participants in the Fusion Center?
Under what authority does the Fusion Center operate (State law, local law,
or federal law)?
Who is responsible for ensuring all federal, State and local laws protecting
privacy and civil liberties are enforced?
What State or local sunshine laws apply?
Questions to Ask Local Officials
What intelligence or data is collected and how is it stored?
What does the Fusion Center do to ensure the accuracy of the data?
Who has access to this data at the Fusion Center? How is it protected from
misuse?
Who receives data, intelligence reports or other products from the Fusion
Centers?
Do any private companies handle, store or analyze data received from or processed
through the Fusion Center? How is that data protected once it is out of government
control?
Questions to Ask Local Officials
Do all data bases associated with the Fusion Center comply with 28 C.F.R.
Part 23?
How is private personally-identifiable information received by the Fusion
Center protected?
Does the Fusion Center engage in data-mining? What databases/data sets does
the Fusion Center have access to, and how does it access them?
What are the annual costs of the Fusion Center?
How do you evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Fusion Center?
Who trains Fusion Center personnel?
Questions to Ask Local Officials
Are there facilities at the Fusion Center to store classified information?
Have local officials been given security clearances?
Have any private sector entities been given security clearances or access
to sensitive information at the Fusion Center?
Does the military participate, and if so under what authority? How is their
activity monitored to ensure compliance with the law?
Does the use of classified information limit intelligence sharing with
State and local law enforcement agencies?