Pixelated Semantics

A schizotypical inventory

The Unusual Behavior of Ubiquitous Data Miners

The New York Times is reporting that Data Mining programs underway in the United States have become "ubiquitous". These include, for instance, the Department of Homeland Security is seeking "clues to possible terrorist activity by looking for patterns in [...] unusual behavior...". The projects all generally collect and analyze large amounts of personal data on individuals "to predict their behavior". The NYT reports:

"In canvassing federal agencies, the accounting office found that 52 were systematically sifting through computer databases. These agencies reported 199 data mining projects, of which 68 were planned and 131 were in operation. At least 122 of the 199 projects used identifying information like names, e-mail addresses, Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers."

However as the survey excludes most classified projects, the actual project numbers are likely to be much higher. There is clear potential, if not actuality as yet, for the behaviour of every citizen to be analysed, categorised, and used against us at every opportunity. One could also expect that other coalition countries are following suit.

Item posted by AutoEditor at 3:50 pm ::