Using Metadata to Find Paul Revere
I wanted to share this commentary from Kieran Healey’s blog. Its timely and an excellent read.
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London, 1772.
I have been asked by my superiors to give a brief demonstration of the surprising effectiveness of even the simplest techniques of the new-fangled Social Network Analysis in the pursuit of those who would seek to undermine the liberty enjoyed by His Majesty’s subjects. This is in connection with the discussion of the role of “metadata” in certain recent events and the assurances of various respectable parties that the government was merely “sifting through this so-called metadata” and that the “information acquired does not include the content of any communications”. I will show how we can use this “metadata” to find key persons involved in terrorist groups operating within the Colonies at the present time. I shall also endeavour to show how these methods work in what might be called a relational manner.
Read more . . .
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Critical Thinker
pgillenw
Very cool Pat, nice find!
I have been thinking a lot about just how much data can be gleamed from this seemly general unspecific data, a whole lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This whole thing is such a messed up thing in every way possible. They cannot even get their story right on one single aspect of all this, Glad you are doing something on it, I can’t do it justice. The political maneuvering to have it “both” ways, that being completely legal or a necessity in the name of security, having court approval, if it’s OK they why do they need courts to protect them. There is so much we can learn from this besides the spying or data mining, the extent they will go to in justifying what they do in any way they can. Often doing it in 2 completely contradictory ways that one proves the other invalid, that is what is amazing.
The truth is very clear, it is to control the American People and nothing at all to do with national security. They exempt Mosques from surveillance where the dam terrorist are trained right here, give me a break! There is enough material to completely discredit all of them with their own words under oath.