The Defense Department Thinks Troves of Personal Data Pose a National Security Threat

 

Just when you thought things over at the Department of Defense couldn't get any nuttier, the Pentagon is now crowdsourcing US national security—to protect the country from the looming threat of too much data.

DARPA just announced it's investigating the national security threat posed by the large sets of public data culled from websites and social media. It's calling for proposals from data scientists to develop tools to make sure the mass of readily available personal data doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

"Current trends in social media and commerce, with voluntary disclosure of personal information, create other potential vulnerabilities for individuals participating heavily in the digital world, DARPA writes. The agency will accept proposals from August 26 to September 25.

If you just got a big ol' whiff of irony, you’re not alone. While the right hand of the DoD is collecting loads of personal data on Americans in the name of protecting national security, the left is worried the personal information being tracked and stored is a national security threat. Can we get on the same page here?

For the rest of the story: http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-defense-department-thinks-troves-of-personal-data-pose-a-national-security-threat