Information Policy, Data Mining, and National Security: False Positives and Unidentified Negatives

Since 9/11, intelligence agencies in the United States have expanded experimentation and use of data mining and analysis techniques to combat terrorism. These efforts have generated significant privacy concerns and discussions about the appropriate balance between civil liberties and technology-aided information integration. This paper argues that while privacy discussions are important, they should be framed within a discussion of the likely ability of data mining systems to meet their stated policy goals. If goal success is not assured, the decision calculus for balancing the use of data integration technology against concerns of privacy abuse will be significantly altered.