I used to be a communist. I used to be really into communist Russia and read a lot about their history and how communism got started. One thing I recall clearly, was how easy they made it for each individual to notify the secret police. The books I read would describe how no one would talk to each other about anything that could be viewed as counter revolutionary, for fear that the person they were talking to would turn them in.

If that wasn't bad enough, there were laws meant to punish people who knew about possible counter revolutionaries but failed to speak up. The state can't watch and control a whole population and still make enough money to pay the people at the top, so the most cost efficient strategy is have the people watch themselves.

The app is good technology, and very useful. I would easily recommend it if the people behind it were a private enterprise who made money from making sure people were safe. Instead it's just another tool used by people who can only sustain their standard of living by making sure people are not safe, to the point they create dangers just to handle them as expensively as possible.

This is depressing, I'm going to work.

No thank you. The only Law enforcement agency that retains any allegiance to the people any more is your local sheriff who is elected and thus must be responsive. Why not have an app that is directed to him and let him decide to move from there.

There is a simple solution to this ever present problem of Big Brother, all of us little brothers and sisters simply need to refuse to use the system. In fact discriminate against people who do. Not in a mean and hateful fashion but simply employ civil disobedience.

Re: paragraph in question.... I would guess that once again they only proof read the release for spelling and not content in their haste to get this out there. It wouldn't be the first time they will have to go back and change talking points. It is an obvious contridiction. Good spot, as I would expect of you!

Incredible. There will soon be a new department in Homeland Security.. Can you even imagine how many people it would take to look at all the nonsense people will send. The potential for "getting even" and causing someone a lot of trouble is enormous. This will be worse than sending in a false tip to the IRS. Oh, wait, the IRS will probably be chosen to handle it. I wonder how many more hat tricks BO and his cronnies have to pul out.

It's great to use technology to communicate with law enforcement, but I don't understand that need for an app that talks to Homeland Security instead of local police. Making a crime a matter for Homeland Security needlessly aggrandizes criminals.

IMHO we need many police patrolling the areas near where they live enforcing very few laws very strictly. An app would be great for that. It should be both ways too. If there's an emergency, houses should be optionally equipped with a wireless alert device that looks like a CO or smoke detector.

I'm guessing they are getting your cell number and don't consider that personal info. This just seems like one of those ideas that sounds good but can be abused. I wonder what happens with the names they collect? If an angry neighbor reports something just to be an ass and HS finds nothing do they purge the name from their system?