Computers and Homeland Security Essay -- Terrorist Terrorism September

Computers and Homeland Security After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 security became a major concern for citizens and of course lawmakers. Unsure of what could happen next we were all afraid. Homeland Security encompasses policies, laws, organizations, and procedures designed to protect the rights and freedoms inherent in the US Constitution. Homeland defense which is sometime interchanged with Homeland Security deals with extra-territorial threats and preemptive operations (Parons & Oja, 51). Governments in many countries are devoting significant resources to combat this growing threat. In the United Stats, the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS is responsible for reducing America?s vulnerability to terrorism and leading a unified national effort to prevent terrorist attacks on American citizens and assets. The DHS mission statement is: ?We will lead the unified national effort to secure America. We will prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats an d hazards to the nation. We will ensure safe and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors, and promote free-slow of commerce? (www.dhs.gov). Technology is a key component of DHS. A part of the PROTECT system uses a computer program to depict the dispersion of toxic materials. On October 26, 2001 the President of the United States signed the Patriot Act, which was designed to define terrorist activities and provide la enforcement officials with legal tools for finding, catching, and prosecuted terrorists (Parons & Oja, 51). Computer systems assist efforts to identify terrorists among the millions of people who travel into and within U.S. borders. Terrorists might use cell hones or e-mail t... ...ments and have become more sophisticated at this task thanks to research for ordinary text-to speech and voice recognition technologies. Computers are a huge part of homeland security, without them we would all be at a greater risk for terrorism. Computers are prominent in each and every one of our lives, and they help us in many ways. Works Cited Arnone, Michael. "Internet security 'back to the Stone Age'." 22 Nov. 2005. 30 Nov. 2005 . "DHS Organization." Department of Homeland Security. DHS. 12 Nov. 2005 . National Security Agency Central Security Sevice. National Security Agency. 12 Nov. 2005 . United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. US-CERT. 12 Nov. 2005 .