The US government is developing a massive computer system that can collect huge amounts of data and, by linking far-flung information from blogs and e-mail to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity.
With CIA backing, a U.S. company has developed a method to parse electronic documents almost instantly and diagram all of the sentences inside, helping turn chatter into information that is relevant and usable.
The author argues that privacy advocates are hindering development of sophisticated pattern-analysis and data mining tools for detecting terrorist networks.
The author argues that placing privacy restrictions on government use of machines for intelligence gathering is neither practical or necessary.
Andy Oram summarizes the case against government use of surveillance networks and data mining to combat terrorism.
The Pentagon is constructing a computer system that could create a vast electronic dragnet, searching for personal information as part of the hunt for terrorists around the globe ? including the United States.
Monitoring voice and e-mail traffic sounds like a good way to thwart terrorism. The problem? Sorting through the results takes too long for early warning.
In a series on the impact of the internet revolution on our daily lives, the Washington Post examines the extent and impact of computerized data collection: "From morning until night, the mundane details of life are being tracked, recorded and analyzed. Cheaper computing power and a vastly expanding Internet have enabled businesses, government agencies and many others to watch what was once unwatchable and glean meaning and profit from the ephemera of daily activity."