[Infowarrior] - New FBI Tech: E-Guardian

[Richard Forno]

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/sept08/eguardian_091908.html

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Using New FBI Technology

The eGuardian system—which is being piloted by several agencies and  
will start being rolled out in phases nationwide by year’s end,  
complete with training—will enable near real-time sharing and tracking  
of terror information and suspicious activities with our local, state,  
tribal, and federal partners. It’s actually a spin-off of a similar  
but classified tool called Guardian that we’ve been using inside the  
Bureau—and sharing with vetted partners—for the past four years.

How eGuardian works. In a very similar way, except it will be  
available through our secure Law Enforcement Online Internet portal to  
more than 18,000 agencies, which will be able to run searches and  
input their own reports. Their entries will be automatically sent to a  
state “fusion center” (or a similar intelligence-based hub) for  
vetting, where trained personnel will evaluate it and then either  
monitor it, close it, or refer it to the appropriate FBI terror task  
force. Ultimately, eGuardian will add additional capabilities like geo- 
spatial mapping, live chats, and link analysis.

What happens if an incident has no probable link to terrorism? The  
report is deleted to ensure personal data is not being needlessly  
stored. If the information is deemed “inconclusive,” it will remain in  
eGuardian for up to five years, in accordance with federal regulations.