Document: FBI Surveillance Geeks Fear, Love New Gadgets | Threat Level | Wired.com
►http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/07/fbi-gadgets
Can’t wait for 4G to become the ubiquitous standard for mobile communication? On the edge of your seat for the unveiling of Microsoft’s secret Menlo Project and Greenfield application?
You’re not the only one watching the growth of these and other new technologies with rapt attention. According to an internal FBI document (.pdf), the law enforcement agency has a keen interest in evaluating each new technology for its surveillance possibilities and challenges.
On the other hand, the FBI appears to be excited about the new
opportunities for surveillance and evidence-gathering that Microsoft’s new Greenfield application might provide. Greenfield is reportedly an “activity-based navigation” system from Microsoft Research that will be able to track a phone user’s movements through a suite of sensors on the mobile phone, allowing a trail to be gathered indoors, where GPS tracking doesn’t reach.
The information could also, however, be subpoenaed by law enforcement agents to track the movements of a suspect. “This kind of data is terrific for convicting people and terrific at exonerating people,” according to a news story the FBI document quotes.
