News.com reports that the web site for the Information Awareness Office has adopted a decidedly less ornate and informative look and approach: bios, logo and the declaration that scientia est potentia have all been removed.
Presumably, the diminished appearance of the web site is no indication of the project's practical vigor, though perhaps it reflects the agency's tacit acknowledgment of the public's dislike for the program.
The changes, at any rate, indicate that transparency is not on the agency's agenda. The removal of the bios, for instance, means, in the very least, that the public will have to take added steps in order to find out basic information about the program.
Such modifications only augment the building impression of gov't furtiveness, and underscore the fact that, in this case, the term "information awareness" applies only to the gov't, not to the American public--who better be observed, rather than observe.