Technology vs. Terrorism

Information technology companies and organizations eager to enlist in the war against terrorism are plugging a variety of information-based weapons.

Acxiom Corp. — Would use public and private databases to verify the identities of air travelers when they make airline reservations and when they check in for flights.

Oracle Corp. — Offered to create a national database of personal information that would be linked to a national identification card.

LexisNexis — Offered to search a wide array of public and private databases to check personal information to detect ID fraud.

Dynamic Information Systems Corp. — Says its high-speed search engine is able to retrieve information from numerous databases despite different formats and various languages. The search engine would permit rapid cross-checking of data in dissimilar systems.

Air Transport Association of America — Calls for creating a "trusted traveler" identification card to be issued to air travelers who volunteer for extensive advance screening. The program would enable security personnel to focus their attention on passengers who do not have the cards.

Adventis Corp. — Proposed creating a Homeland Security Information Technology Consortium of technology companies that would identify IT that could be used in the war against terrorism.

Vality Technology Inc. — Has software that checks financial transactions as they are being performed to alert financial institutions of individuals or institutions on the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control watch list.