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| Past of ’patriot’ Who Made Terrorist Database Draws Scrutiny |
| 2004-01-21 |
| A counterterrorism database that could help prevent terrorist attacks was built by a man who is considered a patriot by some and a criminal by others. Hank Asher, who has been credited with transforming law enforcement with his computer technologies, once smuggled millions of dollars worth of cocaine. In August, the Boca Raton multimillionaire walked away from the so-called Matrix project because of concerns about his past. Asher admits to running drugs during eight months in 1981 and 1982, and although he was never charged with a crime, he says he paid a price with years of negative publicity and intense public suspicion. If he had become a Hollywood actor or a NYT writer, all would be forgiven. But a Patriot, never. He says he now has made peace with himself. "I go to sleep every night knowing that I’ve done much more good than harm," he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. In the months after he quit smuggling, Asher began down his road to redemption, his supporters say, helping the U.S. government deter drug trafficking in the Caribbean. Another strike against him in the eyes of the left. But it wasn’t until 1993, when Asher, a high school dropout who said he largely taught himself computers, devised a system credited with transforming law enforcement. His AutoTrack system combined billions of commercially and publicly available documents onto one network, condensing searches that had taken weeks to seconds. "Hank Asher has done more to facilitate intelligence and information-sharing for police in the country than anyone I’ve ever known," FDLE director James T. "Tim" Moore said. "He’s a patriot, a true friend." But even then, rumors were swirling about Asher’s past. Federal, state and local agencies interested in AutoTrack researched Asher’s background and discovered that an old court record referred to him as a former drug smuggler. Note he was never charged with anything. No one found any signs Asher, now 52, had been involved in anything untoward since, said John Walsh, host of the TV show America’s Most Wanted, who has received free, unlimited access to the database for his National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Still many public officials were bothered by the perception of associating with a former drug smuggler. "But the question was, do we want to use this technology we’d never had before, or do we close our eyes and say we’re not going to use it" because of old allegations, said Phil Ramer, special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Office of Statewide Intelligence. Ramer says every FDLE investigation since the early 1990s has used the program. Common sense rears it’s head, finally. The confidence law enforcement officials had in Asher grew after the Sept. 11 attacks, when out of what Asher called sheer horror, he created the Matrix. Insert John Ashcroft abuse of privacy rants (here). The information-sharing database melds commercially and publicly available records with sensitive investigative data for investigators with security clearance. Queries result in names, phone numbers, addresses and histories on possible terrorists, pedophiles and criminals, as well as photos and comprehensive backgrounds on a suspect’s network of family and friends. The horror!! I can feel their eyes on me right now! The federal government has committed $12 million to make the Matrix available across the country. But in the 18 months before government money was available, Asher used $20 million of his own and gave the government free, unlimited access to the technology. Ok, Patriot he is. As 13 states considered joining the Matrix last summer, the smuggling stories resurfaced, prompting several agencies to reconsider. Asher quit the board of his company, Seisint Inc., put his stock in a blind trust and announced he would have no decision-making ties to the Matrix. "I did it for the good of the country," he said. Others may argue that he did it for the money. If Matrix is successful, Asher stands to make millions. To the left, making money is evil. Unless, of course, you are a rich lefty. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, among others, thinks Asher’s motivation is altruistic. "Maybe it’s the guilt he feels for what he did when he was young, but he’s deeply dedicated to trying to help people," Giuliani said. "He’s a man of extreme talent, and he’s used that talent for good." Amen to that. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 An obvious concern that might arise is whether Seisint's code has some trapdoors or other security vulnerabilities that would allow Asher or others to get at the merged data. one way to address that is for Seisint to allow one of the Federally Funded R&D Corps (Aerospace, RAND, Mitre) to review the source code under a non-disclosure agreement. The FFRDCs have a special status which allows them to see company- private information & not disclose it to competitors or the gov't. |
| Posted by: rkb 2004-1-21 4:30:33 PM |
| #2 How long does anyone think it will be before someone makes some sort of derogatory Jew comment about this person? (I seem to remember someone telling me long ago that Ashers had a certain standing in Israel...or something like that - anyone have details?) |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-21 3:01:59 PM |
| #1 The rumors are likely being pumped by a competitor. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-21 2:31:38 PM |