Pentagon shuts down database that monitored peace rallies.

The Pentagon said it will shut down an anti-terror database, known as TALON, that has been criticized for improperly storing information on peace activists and others who posed no threat. “Anti-war groups and other organizations, including a Quaker group — the American Friends Service Committee — protested after it was revealed that the military had monitored anti-war activities, organizations and individuals who attended peace rallies.” The Pentagon said the database is being shut down because “the analytical value had declined,” but expressed it hopes that a new system will replace it in the near future.