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U.S. counterterror agency lacks "Google-like" search
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 1/20/10 | Deborah Zabarenko

Posted on 01/20/2010 5:42:56 PM PST by NormsRevenge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior counterterrorism official said on Wednesday his agency lacks "Google-like" search capability that could have identified the suspect in the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing.

The National Counterterrorism Center, the agency charged with reviewing disparate data to protect against attacks, does not have a computer search engine that could have checked for various spellings of the alleged bomber's name and his birthplace in Nigeria, the center's chief told a Senate hearing on security reform.

"We do not have that exact capacity," said Michael Leiter, adding that the agency is working on solutions that could be in place within weeks.

The State Department has acknowledged it misspelling attacker's name, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, when sending an advisory out about him after his father warned the U.S. embassy in Nigeria his son had been attracted by militant ideology.

Google and other common Internet search engines routinely offer alternative spellings for searches, particularly with names. Abdulmutallab had been flagged beforehand by U.S. embassy staff in Nigeria, but not under his full name.

National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair acknowledged that current search tools used by U.S. spy and counterterror agencies have "blind spots that don't allow the sort of Google-like" searches civilians can do on their personal computers.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: agency; counterterror; google; googlelike; lacks; search; searchengine; wot
They got the 'Barney' part down, they don't have the 'Google' thingy down quite yet.

Where's Chloe when ya need her?

1 posted on 01/20/2010 5:42:56 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

Billions and Billions of dollars on national defense, and STILL no unified “Google-able” database between the FBI, CIA, NSA, and Homeland security, and TSA, and BATF, and ...

... did I forget anyone?


2 posted on 01/20/2010 5:52:38 PM PST by ROTB (Repeal to 1789, for the children.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Maybe they could just acquire Bing. The rest of their operation is already crap, so it would fit right in.


3 posted on 01/20/2010 5:56:17 PM PST by bigbob
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To: ROTB

I want to say that it’s unbelievable, but I CAN believe. I hate how much money gets wasted by government clowns.


4 posted on 01/20/2010 5:59:06 PM PST by catbertz
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To: ROTB

Close enough.

Yeah but when one thinks of all the different networks and stuff and all the connections and fingers and cable going god know where and databases running on different operating systems.. it’s enough to give DB hacks an upset tummy .. ya need a farm of Crays to keep up with all the info.. merging it with bell and whistles attached is no easy task.

I need to watch closer on 24, does Jack Bauer use a Blackberry?


5 posted on 01/20/2010 6:00:56 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Chuck DeVore - CA Senator. Believe.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Maybe if they offered free email?


6 posted on 01/20/2010 6:01:09 PM PST by daniel1212 (Pro 25:13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger [frozen chosen])
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To: NormsRevenge
If they did have a Google-like search for their database, what would the search hints look like?

Name: Umar Abdulmutalab
Did you mean Umar Abdulmutallab?

7 posted on 01/20/2010 6:04:56 PM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: NormsRevenge

Um I think Google desktop search is free.

http://desktop.google.com/

Leave it to the government. I am sure they need to go out to bid for a multi-million dollar contract to do the same thing.


8 posted on 01/20/2010 6:15:32 PM PST by Smogger
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To: NormsRevenge
And they have spent FIFTY BILLION $$$ since 9/11 for security on what??????????

If this was not so serious it would be laughable and something only our Gubmint could manage to (not) accomplish!

9 posted on 01/20/2010 6:22:04 PM PST by Conservative Vermont Vet ((One of ONLY 37 Conservatives in the People's Republic of Vermont. Socialists and Progressives All))
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To: NormsRevenge

What was the name of that program that mined open data sources for military intelligence? You know, the one that we destroyed.......


10 posted on 01/20/2010 6:27:32 PM PST by Roccus (ABLE DANGER?????...................What's an ABLE DANGER???)
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