WASHINGTON, June 22 (UPI) -- Federal officials checked thousands of normally private Social Security files in investigations of suspected terrorists, The New York Times reported. Social Security Administration officials agreed to an "ad hoc" authorization of information the FBI said was related to its post-Sept. 11, 2001, investigations, the newspaper said Wednesday. The same methods were used in the investigation into the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings. An unnamed former senior FBI official told the Times the bureau "ran thousands of Social Security numbers. We got very useful information, that's for sure." He said the information allowed the FBI to track leads regarding suspected terrorists.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., told the Times the investigation had "real civil liberties implications for abuse." She also questioned whether Congress had been adequately informed, the Times said. The Times article was based on documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center through Freedom of Information Act requests. |