October 4, 2006

Homeland Security Finances Software to Monitor Negative Opinions of U.S.

A consortium of major universities, using Homeland Security Department money, is developing software that would let the government monitor negative opinions of the United States or its leaders in newspapers and other publications overseas. Such a “sentiment analysis” is intended to identify potential threats to the nation, security officials said. A $2.4 million grant will finance the research over three years. Even the basic research has raised concern among journalism advocates and privacy groups, as well as representatives of the foreign news media.

Software Being Developed to Monitor Opinions of U.S., New York Times, October 4, 2006.