In Plain Sight

The National Security Agency is financing research on how to collect data from the Internet to create extensive personal profiles of individuals. With services such as MySpace and Friendster chock full of personal information, the Web is a treasure trove, security experts say, just waiting to be sorted and categorized. By combining Web information with other data, such as those gathered by analyzing telephone records, the NSA may be able to find out more about people and the connections between them. (New Scientist)