Searchable databases allow law enforcement agents to probe for people using Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, property records, motor vehicle information and credit history. The information is collected by states and forwarded to a database in Florida, where a private company, Seisint Inc., builds and manages the database.

The program essentially cross-references government records from both public and private databases, putting together a dossier on individuals for use by law enforcement.

Verdi White II, the man Leavitt tapped to be the state's homeland security specialist, said any data gleaned for Utah's participation in MATRIX is information already available to law enforcement — and in some cases the public. White said Utah's participation is at a limited level, and he described it as an "experiment."

"We will evaluate this and see if it does have value, if we are able to interdict a crime or apprehend an abducted child. If it does have value, we will go to the Legislature and see if they want to participate in it," he said. White said no cost analysis had been done about continuing the program past the end of the pilot project in August.

But MATRIX could turn into a conservative punching bag, like the old "smart card" proposal that would have allowed the Department of Public Safety to begin a "smart" driver's license that used electronic chips to store all kinds of information like an allergic reaction to certain antibiotics. And the state itself could put on the chip information like criminal history.

But conservatives came out of the woodwork, claiming the "smart card" could become a national I.D. card, containing all kinds of information that could be misused by authorities. The bill quickly died.

MATRIX could present the same ethical and political conundrums.

"It sounds like smart card but a lot scarier," said Gayle Ruzicka of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum. "In this case, people don't know their very personal information is available to law enforcement. I think we have been hoodwinked."

Ruzicka was familiar with the MATRIX controversy through e-mails with other conservatives around the country. But she had no idea Utah was a charter member of the program.

"Utah needs to get out of it. The question is who can get us out," she said.

Company officials are tight-lipped about what data it collects, and Utah officials have been mum about the extent to which the state is participating.

Utah was one of 13 states that hopped on board the pilot program last June — funded with $12 million in federal grants. But since then, several states have pulled out of the project, citing privacy and financial concerns.