“The Obama administration is discouraging authorities and citizens from reporting suspicious behavior through smartphone apps because of privacy concerns, as local governments begin releasing the anti-terrorist tools 11 years after the World Trade Center attacks. Privacy advocates and federal officials may be at odds on many counterterrorism surveillance techniques but they are of the same mind-set that reporting apps present too great a risk of stalking, discrimination and security breaches.
Since 2008, state and local authorities have been sending credible tips from citizens to regional analysis centers through a special network. Now, some of those fusion centers are adapting the program, called the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative, or NSI, for the iPhone crowd, according to current and former Justice Department officials.”
Source: Feds reject counterterrorism reporting apps over privacy, security concerns – Nextgov.com
