Twitter has cut off access to data to intelligence agencies? – Exam Information

The Dataminr enables social agencies to monitor data from social networks and has been used to provide important information, as in the case of alert to the attacks of Paris. The system has an algorithm that identifies patterns in data from social networks and send notifications and alerts. While it may be considered a victory for privacy, the fact that agencies no longer have access to this tool can also mean the loss of a valuable item in surveillance and counter-terrorism, reports the Wired .

Twitter is an investor in Dataminr with a position of 5%, and this is the only third-party company with full access to Twitter data in real time and sale permission of your information.

Now, Twitter have decided to change the model and denied access. “The Dataminr uses public tweets to sell alerts and notifications to the Dow Jones and agencies such as the World Health Organization, for purposes other than surveillance. We never authorized the Dataminr or other companies to sell data to the government or intelligence agency to monitor citizens. This is Twitter’s policy for a long time, “said a company official, confirming that the social network does not want to have to contribute more to watch than what is legally required.

On the side of Dataminr, the scenario is complicated since the company has agreements and contracts with public bodies such as intelligence agencies for the transfer of data.