U.S. to Expand Domestic Use Of Spy Satellites

US TO EXPAND DOMESTIC USE OF SPY SATELLITES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Robert Block bobby.block@wsj.com]
The U.S.'s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation's vast network of spy satellites in the U.S. The decision, made three months ago by Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell, places for the first time some of the U.S.'s most powerful intelligence-gathering tools at the disposal of domestic security officials. The move was authorized in a May 25 memo sent to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking his department to facilitate access to the spy network on behalf of civilian agencies and law enforcement. Until now, only a handful of federal civilian agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey, have had access to the most basic spy-satellite imagery, and only for the purpose of scientific and environmental study.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118714764716998275.html?mod=todays_us_pa...
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