by Dr. Ramon Barquin
Every nation in the world is well within its rights to use whatever legitimate tools they have at hand, including data mining, to protect its citizens from terrorism. That was at least the premise with which I approached and accepted the invitation to participate in a 2-day conference titled: Data Mining and Human Rights in the Fight Against Terrorism. It was held in connection with DETECTER, a research project undertaken by the European Union focusing on the “ethical and legal ramifications of the use of various detection and surveillance technologies in counter-terrorist efforts.” The project is being carried out by a consortium of seven European academic institutions and coordinated by the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham, UK. I found the conference to be a fascinating and intellectually challenging exercise. (more on b-eye-network.com)
