New computer technology makes possible the collection of dossiers on, and surveillance of, all American citizens. These activities are now being engaged in by city police, urban intelligence units with the aid of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Internal Revenue, the Secret Service, the Justice Department, by ghetto monitoring units of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare which feeds information to the Justice Department, state highway patrols, military intelligence units, and others. These include surveillance of private citizens engaged in legal activities, and violate the right to privacy, to oppose popularly held opinions, and to oppose governmental policies without being intimidated, blackmailed or harassed by governmental agencies whose aims should be to protect individual liberties.

The American Ethical Union views such surveillance activities as inimical to a politically free society, and believes that they should be discontinued and existing files of a political or personal nature should be destroyed, and future accumulations limited to information which is related to the legitimate business of government.

Source: AEU 63rd Annual Assembly Memo [job06scan]

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