The Controversies over Data Mining and Warrantless Searches in the Wake of September 11

Abstract

In 2004, the Congress voted to end funding for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) data mining program called Total Information Awareness (TIA) that was supposed to be used for preventing terrorist attacks. Because this was not the only data mining project established by the U.S. government after September 11, this paper examines the likely impact of the TIA cancellation on future efforts. It summarizes the controversy over warrantless wiretaps in the more recent past and then turns to the broader question of the tradeoffs between privacy and security.