twitter's Journal: One Million Names on US Terrorist Watch List.

Cory Doctorow and the ACLU note a landmark number change with dismay.

The national Terrorist Watch List has now crossed one million names -- that's a million suspected terrorists (including nuns, members of Congress, and people named "Robert Johnson") who will spend their days being harassed, denied the fundamental right to travel, and punished for having a name vaguely like the name used by someone who may or may not be a terrorist. There's no way to get off the list, and the list (and the criteria for adding names to it) are secret.

The ACLU does not go far enough in their fight. Only people who have been convicted of crimes should be punished, the rest is injustice. Publishing the lists where the public can see them will be a significant libel to those on it. The list has already been abused in a high profile way. It it can be used against a CNN reporter, it can be used against anyone. Pity anyone named Bob Johnson or "Jim Robinson common names that shows that many millions of innocent people are harmed by the list.