Can Social Network Analysis be Effective at Improving the Intelligence Community While Ensuring Civil Rights?

Abstract

ABSTRACT International terrorism represents a complexity of threats that requires all the resources of the U.S. government to detect, deter, and prevent terrorist acts. Social network analysis (SNA) will be defined and specific concepts available for analytical application will be introduced and evaluated for efficacy. SNA will be examined as a tool to improve the efficiency and capabilities of the intelligence analyst tasked with the prevention and early detection of terrorist actions while preserving constitutionally guaranteed civil rights of those it is meant to protect. Limitations of SNA will be introduced and measures to limit those limitations will be discussed. The immediate research has revealed that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) initial research and development efforts in SNA did not include the necessary requirements for privacy protection as called for in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). The immediate effects of 9/11 led many within the intelligence community to adopt any and all available technology that was seen as worthwhile and offered the ability to address as many of the deficiencies revealed by the 9/11 Commission as possible. The history of many of the successful programs within DARPA has been attributed to a culture of noninterference by political as well as defense officials with an attitude of building effectiveness without regard to oversight or diligence to existing laws or mandates. The fact that DARPA's charter has not been changed since its inception has contributed to the failure to adopt already existing legislature and mandated privacy protection. This paper will develop the practicality for SNA with privacy rights built into the architecture so that the analysts' output is enhanced while civil rights are preserved.