Analysis: ‘Total Information’ lives again

By SHAUN WATERMAN
UPI Homeland and National Security Editor

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) — The new U.S. intelligence czar is developing a computer system capable of data-mining huge amounts of information about everyday events to discern patterns that look like terrorist planning. The technology is reminiscent of the axed Total Information Awareness program.

Civil liberties and privacy advocates criticized the effort, called Tangram, which is being developed by contractors working for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “They are misdirecting resources towards this kind of fanciful, science-fiction project,” said ACLU attorney Tim Sparapani, “while neglecting the basics” of good counter-terrorist detective work.

For more on the technical approaches advocated in Tangram, and also what the ACLU thinks event processing can’t do (as opposed to the moral question of what it should not be used to do), read the article.