CHAPTER 4: TECHNOLOGY
the application of biometrics identified by witnesses giving evidence to the Science and
Technology Committee Inquiry into biometric data was the linking of biometric data
with other types of Big Data into order to facilitate profiling.51
Data mining
4.40.
The collection of vast volumes of data enables the identification of patterns and
predictions of future behaviour, a process called predictive analytics, data mining or
Big Data.52 An example of this technique is a predictive policing system called
PredPol, which analyses large volumes of crime reports to identify areas with high
probabilities for certain types of crime. The system has been used by Kent Police to
predict when and where drugs crimes and robberies are likely to take place. PredPol
is simply about when and where a crime will take place; other technology is aimed at
predicting who will commit them. In 2011, the US Department of Homeland Security
tested Future Attribute Screening Technology, which seeks to identify potential
criminals by monitoring individuals’ vital signs, such as cardiovascular signals and
respiratory measurements.
Geographical changes
4.41.
One of the Snowden Documents stated that the UK had the “biggest internet access”
in Five Eyes Alliance (made up of the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia)
and added “We are in the golden age”. However, the growing trend of US ISPs moving
to Malaysia and India was also noted and it was suggested that “traffic will no longer
transit the UK”.53 This movement from west to east reflects the fact that Western
Europe and North America are experiencing digital saturation, whilst countries such as
India are predicted to drive future growth of the online market. The United Nations
predicts that 2015 will be the year when Chinese-speaking users of the internet
outnumber English speakers.
4.42.
A further trend is the move towards the passage of laws to enforce the localisation of
data. In April 2014, Russia introduced a draft law requiring companies to locate
servers handling Russian internet traffic locally. This is due to come into effect on 1
September 2015.54 Brazil introduced a bill containing data localisation proposals,
which was later withdrawn. China and Vietnam have passed data localisation laws. 55
Brazil also announced plans in 2014 to build a fibre optic underwater cable between
Europe and Brazil. This was reported to be an attempt to reduce Brazil’s reliance on
US cables to carry communications to Europe.56
4.43.
All these trends point towards a decreasing bulk collection capability for the West. The
golden age may already be passing. This decreasing capability is exacerbated for the
51
52
53
54
55
56
Current and Future Uses of Biometric data and technologies, (March 2015).
V. Mayer-Schonberger and K. Cukier, “At its core, big data is about predictions”, (2013) Big Data, p. 11.
See “Mastering the internet: how GCHQ set out to spy on the world wide web”, The Guardian, 21 June
2013.
See Hogan Lovell’s Chronicle of Data Protection Blog, Russia Data Localization Law update and
webinar, 24 March 2015.
M. Bauer et al, “The Costs of data localisation: Friendly Fire on Economic Recovery”, ECIPE, No
3/2014.
See “Brazil, Europe plan undersea cable to skirt US spying”, Reuters, 24 February 2014.
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