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Originally Posted by irateplatypus
With my limited experience in FOIA (freedom of information act) requests, I think this is a hoax.
FOIA requests that I deal with are almost always requests for specific information. you have to know what you're looking for before you can ask the question. with no established link between the hardware and the DHS other than some policeman's recommendation, i can't picture someone actually asking DHS what a chip is doing in their laptop and expecting a decent answer.
i mean, what would you do if someone called your office and asked why their refrigerator made pear-shaped ice instead of cubes? there might be weird and sinister explanation... but how the hell would you know?
both the possibility of this actually happening coupled with the story's content/source makes this appear unlikely.
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After researching this a bit, I found that Homeland Security did indeed sign Dell and Microsoft to some pretty nice contracts. I think this could give more credibility to the story, although it could be just an attack at Dell. Who knows.
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Dell to aid in homeland security
Round Rock-based Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL) is one of 30 contractors that will help Bermuda-based Accenture Ltd (NYSE: ACN) implement a Department of Homeland Security contract potentially worth $10 billion.
The contract, which will help protect U.S. borders and track visitors to the country, is part of a initiative called US VISIT, or the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program. The program will use digital photographs, fingerprints and other biometric information.
The contract covers five years with five one-year options after that. The package could be worth up to $10 billion, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Other contractors that will participate include Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN), Titan Corp. (NYSE: TTN) and AT&T Corp. (NYSE: T).
Computer Sciences Corp. (NYSE: CSC ) and Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) also competed for the contract
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Homeland Security awards Dell, Microsoft $90 million contract
MICROSOFT HAS snagged a deal with the US Department of Homeland Security worth $90 million over a five year period.
That means the software giant will be the leading supplier of technology to the agency.
According to a report on Reuters, both Dell and Microsoft will provide desktop and server products.
As many as 140,000 desktops will be part of the deal, with the Department claiming that the two vendors will provide a common IT environment for the agency's work.
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