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The story of the drug-running DEA informant behind the databases tracking our lives
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/09/1204694937/hank-asher-data-privacy-database-dea-florida-online-tracking(8 min. audio at link)
The story of the drug-running DEA informant behind the databases tracking our lives
October 9, 2023 4:53 PM ET
Manuela López Restrepo
You might not know Hank Asher. But you'll recognize how his creation and monetization of online databases helped change modern life.
Who is he?
[...]
October 9, 2023 4:53 PM ET
Manuela López Restrepo
You might not know Hank Asher. But you'll recognize how his creation and monetization of online databases helped change modern life.
Who is he?
- Once a young pilot in South Florida and the Caribbean, Asher fell in with a group of drug smugglers in the 1980s and got into a lot of trouble (though was never convicted of a felony.)
- Asher sought help from F. Lee Bailey, a well-known attorney, who saw how Asher's network of connections and understanding of the smuggling world could help the DEA.
- Asher became an informant. And in turn, he then gained insight into how the early DEA computer systems worked.
[...]
