Briefs

The article in IEEE Spectrum discusses FBI controversial use of data mining technologies.

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"Data warehousing involves connecting various datasets from various sources—transactional data from your Web site, demographics data from providers like Axciom and Experian—and then using analytical software to detect patterns in the data, so that you can personalize the services you offer or detect fraud," explains data mining expert Jesus Mena.

There are two basic approaches, he says. "In the first, you look for outliers or deviations, things that are way outside normal behavior—somebody trying to access a computer network in the middle of the night, for example. The other is where you have a pattern of known activity and you have a signature that you try to match."

The IEEE article also describes the stunning achievement of German police which used data analysis method in 1970-s to find a Red Army Faction terrorist. However, similar attempts post Sep 11 have proved unsuccessful.

Here is the full story from IEEE Spectrum.

In related news, The FBI is attempting to modernize its computer systems with the $600 million Trilogy network, while civil liberties proponents are keeping a close eye on the project to see if it strikes a balance between privacy and security-related information gathering. The network will feature a new database designed to infer relationships between 26 million agency records; the database can store 100 TB of data culled from federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as news media. Audio, video, and 3D mapping files will also be stored within the database, while the FBI's Virtual Case File, used to track terrorists and other offenders, will be made available to all authorized employees by December.

Here is the full story.