NSA Strikes Again!
Jun. 10th, 2006 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
semiotic_pirateOnline snooping set to move up a gear
10/06/2006 - 11:51:40
A US government spy agency is funding research into the “mass harvesting” of information that people post about themselves on websites like MySpace, it has been claimed.
The New Scientist said the National Security Agency, under fire recently over reports it tracked millions of American citizens’ phone calls, had backed a study on how advances in internet technology could make mining such “social networking” sites more useful.
The magazine said tens of millions of users of such web spaces could be vulnerable to online snooping.
Phone logs had limited scope as spy tools, because they could only show a very basic picture of someone’s contact network.
But by adding online social networking data to that work, the NSA could connect people at deeper levels through shared activities, the New Scientist suggested.
Including details such as banking, retail and property records could help build an even more extensive picture of an individual.
The research paper looked at a development called the semantic web, revealing how data from online social networks and other databases can be combined to uncover facts about people, the magazine said.
The semantic web aims to iron out the incompatibilities between different data on the web, making it possible to combine social networking details with other information, such as what people buy and where they go.
A footnote revealed it was funded partly by an organisation called ARDA, or Advanced Research Development Activity, according to the New Scientist.
Its role – according to a Congressional Research Service report – is to spend NSA money on research that can “solve some of the most critical problems facing the US intelligence community“.
The NSA recently changed ARDA’s name to the Disruptive Technology Office.
The New Scientist said that although no plan to mine social networks via the semantic web had been announced by the NSA, its interest in the technology was evident from the fact it had funded the research.
The paper, entitled Semantic Analytics on Social Networks, by a team led by Amit Sheth of the University of Georgia in Athens and Anupam Joshi of the University of Maryland in Baltimore, was presented at conference in Edinburgh, in late May.
Online social networks are becoming more and more popular, with top sites like MySpace now boasting more than 80 million members.
US media revealed last year that the NSA controversially eavesdropped on overseas calls by terror suspects without warrants.
The agency said it could not comment on the New Scientist’s claims.
“Given the nature of the work we do, it would be irresponsible to comment on actual or alleged operational issues as it would give those wishing to do harm to the United States insight that could potentially place Americans in danger; therefore, we have no information to provide,” spokesman Don Weber said.
“However, it is important to note that NSA takes its legal responsibilities seriously and operates within the law.”
10/06/2006 - 11:51:40
A US government spy agency is funding research into the “mass harvesting” of information that people post about themselves on websites like MySpace, it has been claimed.
The New Scientist said the National Security Agency, under fire recently over reports it tracked millions of American citizens’ phone calls, had backed a study on how advances in internet technology could make mining such “social networking” sites more useful.
The magazine said tens of millions of users of such web spaces could be vulnerable to online snooping.
Phone logs had limited scope as spy tools, because they could only show a very basic picture of someone’s contact network.
But by adding online social networking data to that work, the NSA could connect people at deeper levels through shared activities, the New Scientist suggested.
Including details such as banking, retail and property records could help build an even more extensive picture of an individual.
The research paper looked at a development called the semantic web, revealing how data from online social networks and other databases can be combined to uncover facts about people, the magazine said.
The semantic web aims to iron out the incompatibilities between different data on the web, making it possible to combine social networking details with other information, such as what people buy and where they go.
A footnote revealed it was funded partly by an organisation called ARDA, or Advanced Research Development Activity, according to the New Scientist.
Its role – according to a Congressional Research Service report – is to spend NSA money on research that can “solve some of the most critical problems facing the US intelligence community“.
The NSA recently changed ARDA’s name to the Disruptive Technology Office.
The New Scientist said that although no plan to mine social networks via the semantic web had been announced by the NSA, its interest in the technology was evident from the fact it had funded the research.
The paper, entitled Semantic Analytics on Social Networks, by a team led by Amit Sheth of the University of Georgia in Athens and Anupam Joshi of the University of Maryland in Baltimore, was presented at conference in Edinburgh, in late May.
Online social networks are becoming more and more popular, with top sites like MySpace now boasting more than 80 million members.
US media revealed last year that the NSA controversially eavesdropped on overseas calls by terror suspects without warrants.
The agency said it could not comment on the New Scientist’s claims.
“Given the nature of the work we do, it would be irresponsible to comment on actual or alleged operational issues as it would give those wishing to do harm to the United States insight that could potentially place Americans in danger; therefore, we have no information to provide,” spokesman Don Weber said.
“However, it is important to note that NSA takes its legal responsibilities seriously and operates within the law.”
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 12:37 pm (UTC)Paper Presented
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 07:59 pm (UTC)