Joint Advertising Marketing Research & Studies
Program overview
Formed2002[1]
Headquarters4800 Mark Center Drive, Suite 06J25-01 Alexandria, VA 22350-400
MottoBe heard. Be counted.
Program executive
  • Katherine R. Helland, Acting Director
Parent departmentUnited States Department of Defense
Websitejamrs.defense.gov

Joint Advertising Marketing Research & Studies (JAMRS) is a program run by the United States Department of Defense to maintain sufficient levels of voluntary service in the United States Armed Forces.[2] This objective is facilitated by the collection of information about U.S. persons of enlistment age, surveys, and other market research in a central database made available to military recruiters.

JAMRS Recruiting Database

JAMRS manages a database (subcontracted by Equifax)[3][4] of personal information of over 30 million United States citizens aged 16–25 for the purposes of military recruitment.[5] Stored information includes, but is not limited to: name, address, email addresses, cell phone numbers, ethnicity, education, and employment information.[6][7][8][9][10] The database is sourced from public and private organizations such as the Selective Service System, Departments of Motor Vehicles and College Board.[11] It is also used by the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies for research purposes and for the Military Draft.[12][13] The names and contact information of all registrants in the Selective Service System are distributed to JAMRS on a quarterly basis."[14]

Opt-out

Individuals whose information is present in the JAMRS database can opt out of having that information shared with recruiters,[15] but it cannot be permanently removed.[16]

Legal challenges

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense in 2006 (Hanson v. Rumsfeld) claiming the unconstitutionality of the JAMRS database. They succeeded in getting a settlement forcing the DOD to stop collecting Social Security Numbers, keep student information for only three years, restrict the ages of students included in the database, and maintain better privacy standards for student information. Also, the Department of Defense clarified the procedure for opting out of the database. The Department of Defense updated those procedures in January 2011.[17][18]

Futures Survey

This survey was distributed by postal mail to a randomly selected group of 16- to 24-year-olds. Information requested included education, career plans, and attitudes toward the military.[19] $2.00 was included with the survey and participants were promised an additional $10.00 upon completion.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Information about the JAMRS Database". New York Civil Liberties Union. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  2. ^ "JOINT ADVERTISING, MARKET RESEARCH & STUDIES". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  3. ^ David Goodman (September–October 2009). "A Few Good Kids?". Mother Jones. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  4. ^ Gary Evans (3 May 2010). "The Pentagon's Child Recruiting Strategy". Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  5. ^ "JAMRS Recruiting Database". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Vidéos MySpaceTV : MFZ Mini-Documentary par Military Free Zone". Archived from the original on 2007-08-27. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  7. ^ "Home". jamrs.org.
  8. ^ "JAMRS is the Pentagon's Database for Collecting Personal Info on Young Americans | Brooklyn for Peace". Archived from the original on 2009-12-16. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  9. ^ milrec.nyclu.org/2f.html
  10. ^ # www.privacycoalition.org/nododdatabase/ letter.html
  11. ^ "Joint Advertising Market Research Studies (JAMRS)". New York Civil Liberties Union. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Market Research". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  13. ^ "Affiliations". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  14. ^ "JAMRS Affiliations". Archived from the original on 2006-10-22. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  15. ^ "Opt-out form". Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  16. ^ "Joint Advertising Market Research Studies (JAMRS)". New York Civil Liberties Union. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  17. ^ "Joint Advertising Market Research Studies (JAMRS)". 7 January 2009.
  18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2014-01-23.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ "Futures Study". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  20. ^ Misti Bolte (8 May 2014). "Think carefully before filling out military survey for young people". Daily Ranger. Retrieved 11 September 2014.


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