GCHQ’s data-mining techniques revealed in new Snowden leak

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A "Data Mining Research Problem Book" marked "top secret strap 1" details some of the key techniques used by GCHQ to sift through the huge volumes of data it pulls continuously from the Internet. Originally obtained by Edward Snowden, the 96-page e-book has been published by Boing Boing, along with a second short document entitled "What's the worst that can happen?". Boing Boing describes this as "a kind of checklist for spies who are seeking permission to infect their adversaries' computers or networks with malicious software." The data mining handbook was written by researchers from the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research in Bristol, a partnership between GCHQ and the University of Bristol. According to Boing Boing, "Staff spend half their time working on public research, the other half is given over to secret projects for the government." The handbook provides valuable insights into some of the details of GCHQ's data mining work, at least as it was in September 2011, when the document was written.


GCHQ’s data-mining techniques revealed in new Snowden leak