Fusion centers: Invading your privacy at your expenseGregory Patin Most people who rely on print and TV news probably have never heard of fusion centers. There are as many as 72 of these facilities. 50 state-based and 22 urban centers were set up during the Bush presidency in cooperation between the DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Fusion centers contain large data warehouses that collect information from all 16 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI, NSA, the military, state and local police agencies, as well as privately owned corporations and organizations. That information includes the cell phone data and emails of every American citizen. There is one of these facilities in Madison near the Dane county regional airport, at 2445 Darwin Road. (See slideshow or view an interactive map of their locations here). According to Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the DHS described its fusion centers as one of the centerpieces of [its] counterterrorism strategy and its database was supposed to be a central repository of known or appropriately suspected terrorists. In theory, local law enforcement officers, in conjunction with DHS officials, conduct surveillance and write up a report known as a Homeland Intelligence Report (HIR) for the DHS to review. If credible, the DHS would then spread the information to the larger intelligence community. Five centers the Senate studied spent their federal terrorism grant money on hidden shirt button cameras, cell phone tracking systems and other surveillance tools. They also spent taxpayer money on things like dozens of flat-screen TVs and SUVs, sometimes claiming that Chevrolet Tahoes were intended to help respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) incidents. Here a few more details of what the Senate report reveals: And more from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which filed a lawsuit against the FBI, DOJ and NSA regarding fusion centers: Like so many post-9/11 surveillance laws passed under the vague guise of national security, these fusion centers violate the civil liberties of ordinary Americans that should be guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and other laws. An entire section of the Senate report is dedicated to Privacy Act violations and the collection of information completely unrelated to any criminal or terrorist activity in the HIRs. The Senate report and the activity of fusion centers makes it clear that these facilities are designed to spy on American citizens, invading their privacy while doing nothing to stop terrorism. With all the talk in the Presidential campaigns about frivolous spending, perhaps these worthless facilities should be addressed, instead of Medicare or Social Security. This may sound like a conspiracy theory, but it is reality. In fact, the one episode of Conspiracy Theory done by former navy SEAL and Governor Jesse Ventura that dealt with these fusion centers was refused to be aired by TruTV. In that episode he interviews a young woman from Missouri who was put on the terrorism watch list by her local fusion center for supporting Ron Paul in the Republican primary election. (See banned video to the left). This is yet more evidence that America is turning from a democracy or constitutional republic into a corporate fascist state. Just look at the 14 defining characteristics of fascism and decide for yourself. Gregory Patin writes for the Examiner where this article first appeared. Patlin earned a B.A. in political science from U.W. Madison and a M.S. in management from Colorado Technical University. He is currently a freelance writer residing in Madison, WI who considers himself politically independent. 