Daily updates on privacy stories in the news.

« New Technology Records Emotions of Passers-by | Main | U.S. Builds Biometric Database Full of Iraqi Data »

FBI Plans More Data-Mining, Profiling

The Federal Bureau of Investigations is developing a computer-profiling system that would enable investigators to target possible terror suspects, according to a Justice Department report submitted to Congress yesterday. The System to Assess Risk, or STAR, assigns risk scores to possible suspects based on a variety of information, similar to the way a credit bureau assigns a rating based on a consumer's spending behavior and debt. The program focuses on foreign suspects but also includes data about some U.S. residents. A prototype is expected to be tested this year.

FBI Plans Initiative To Profile Terrorists, Washington Post, July 11, 2007.