Homeland Security Dealing With Data Mining

Data mining programs use the latest in information technology.

Data mining programs collect and sort information from databases, web pages and television in order to find patterns. This technology has been used extensively by businesses to uncover fraud, monitor sales and track customer purchasing trends. The U.S. government greatly expanded its use of data mining after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Function

The Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies use data mining techniques to search huge amounts of information such as bank transactions, travel reservations and immigration documents. Computer programs sift the data to find patterns that might indicate terrorists' movements and uncover attacks while they are still in the planning stage.

Misconceptions

It is commonly believed that data mining technology can independently identify specific terrorists and their plots, but this is not the case. When patterns are found, trained specialists must analyze the information to see whether the patterns amount to usable intelligence or not. The vast amounts of data generated every day makes it very difficult for intelligence agencies to decide what needs further attention.

Considerations

Use of various data mining programs by the U.S. government have raised privacy concerns. Citizens and some civil rights groups have wondered just how intrusive the programs are. The Department of Homeland Security launched a program in 2003 called ADVISE or Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement system. The department discontinued the program in 2007 when it found that safeguards designed to protect the public from unnecessary intrusions were not effective.

References

• Open CRS: "Data Mining and Homeland Security: an Overview"
• Washington Post: "Homeland Security Drops Data Mining Tool"