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IBM Uses Call-Detail Records To Identify "Friends"

theodp writes "Big Blue may know what you did last summer. Or at least who you called. In a move out of the NSA's playbook, IBM Research has been scrutinizing the call-detail records of 'one of the largest mobile operators in the world' (PDF). By analyzing who calls whom, and for how long, IBM claims its patent-pending snooping software can now identify circles of 'friends' who tend to exhibit the same profit-threatening behavior. 'We believe that our analysis is a first of its kind that exploits the underlying social network in a telecom call graph,' boasted a team of IBM researchers and a UMD prof. For now, IBM seems to have focused on using the info to see if your friends are churners, so you can be dealt with pro-actively lest you follow their lead and bolt. However, IBM suggests its SNAzzy data mining technology (Social Network Analysis for Telecom Business Intelligence) has a bright future, noting it 'is also capable of analyzing any kind of social network or graph, not just telecom networks.'"

2 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Re:snail mail by davester666 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes. In Louisiana, you must wear a white hood when you are out at night...

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  2. Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Good luck IBM, I don't HAVE any friends!