New stalking software capable of tracking people’s movements and predicting future behaviour using data from social networking websites has been developed, it emerged today.

The sophisticated technology relies on websites such as Facebook and Twitter to build a detailed picture of people’s lives in a move that could raise concerns over breach of privacy and civil liberties.

The system has been created by Raytheon, the US giant defence contractor.

It was claimed that the technology could be transformed into a "Google for spies" and used by governments as a means of monitoring and controlling people online.

The company insisted that the software – dubbed “Riot” or Rapid Information Overlay Technology – had not been sold to any clients but was shared with the US government in 2010.

The move follows controversy over the Communications Bill in Britain which would authorise the monitoring of phone calls, emails and internet usage

Ministers insist the reforms are vital for countering paedophiles, extremists and fraudsters but civil liberties have attacked the Bill’s scope and branded it a “snoopers’ charter”.

A video obtained by the Guardian newspaper reveals how the software system can gather personal information about people – including their friends, interests and the places they visit – from social networking websites including Foursquare, a mobile phone app that alerts friends of their whereabouts.

In the video, the software analyses the behaviour of a Raytheon employee – Nick – to show the places he has used his smartphone, the day or time of most internet activity and the location of photos posted online.

"We know where Nick's going, we know what Nick looks like, now we want to try to predict where he may be in the future,” says the video.

Ginger McCall, from the US-based Electronic Privacy Information Centre, said the Raytheon, said the technology raised concerns about how personal data could be covertly collected without people’s authorisation.

"Social networking sites are often not transparent about what information is shared and how it is shared," she said.

"Users may be posting information that they believe will be viewed only by their friends, but instead, it is being viewed by government officials or pulled in by data collection services like the Riot search."

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Read more:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ne...technology.html

Quote: algernonpj wrote in post #2

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The show is not too far off the mark.

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Quote: FP123 wrote in post #3

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Quote: algernonpj wrote in post #2

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The show is not too far off the mark.

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Finch: "Why do you think I created Facebook, Mr. Reese?"

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