Tangled in the keyword net

Last week on Salon.com, I tried to illustrate some of the powerful intelligence data capture made possible by the NSA’s supposed keyword search technology (for a more serious look at data mining technology and the NSA, try chapter 12 of Safe):

O say, ma, been laden forever!
Working with your phone company, skilled NSA operatives are rounding up evil terrorists who speak Islamofascist jive.

By Evan Ratliff
Salon.com | May. 12, 2006

Memo: NSA headquarters, Fort Meade
Automated data mining analysis, transcript #HS48652-6
Target: Evan Ratliff
Communication: Domestic e-mail intercepts
Keyword extraction recommendation: Significant terror risk. Operations imminent.

From: eratliff@*********.com
To: samschaffer@*****.com

Yo, Schaffe! What’s up?! How’s life down South? Tried calling your cell, but you must have been out hitting the bars pretty hard last night. Did you check out that little home-style restaurant I told you about? The house specialty is lamb chop, OH SNAP!! You’ll love it.

drink a PBR for me,
e

…Here’s the rest.

Posted at 1:04 am | Filed under Homeland Security, Recent stories, Salon.com, Satire |

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I'm Evan Ratliff, a freelance journalist and feature writer for Wired, The New Yorker, Outside, The New York Times Magazine, and other publications. I'm also the story editor for Pop-Up Magazine, the world's first live magazine.

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