Data Expert Is Cautious About Misuse of Information

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

Data Expert Is Cautious About Misuse of Information
By STEVE LOHR

NY Times. March 24 2003
http://nytimes.com/2003/03/25/technology/25DATA.html

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 24 - As the government gears up its domestic
security program, the chief executive of a venture capital firm (In-Q-Tel)
founded by the Central Intelligence Agency warned today of the danger of
amassing a large, unified database that would be available to government
investigators - as some technology executives have advocated.

...

Speaking at the PC Forum, an annual gathering of corporate technology
executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, Mr. Louie said there
were two different paths being pursued toward data surveillance by the
government.

First, there is what he termed the "data mining or profiling" approach.
This involves collecting large amounts of data - like credit card and air
travel information - and then sorting the data by names, buying habits or
travel plans looking for patterns.

...

The second way to use database technology to detect threats is what he
called the data analysis approach. The alternative, which Mr. Louie
supports, starts with some kind of investigative lead and then uses
software tools to scan for links between a person under investigation and
known terrorists, in terms of where they live, recent travel and other
behavior.

Las Vegas casinos, for example, use data analysis software called NORA,
for Non-Obvious Relationship Awareness, for tracking threats to their
business - links between some patrons and sometimes employees with money
launderers, known card counters and individuals with criminal records

...

Before Sept. 11, Mr. Louie said, In-Q-Tel was seen within government as an
intriguing experiment. "Now, this isn't an experiment," he said. "This is
a necessity."

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