Counter-terrorism Identification and Advanced Tracking System using the Analysis of Communication, Financial and Travel Data

Preparatory Action on the enhancement of European industrial potential in the field of Security research

Concept and objectives

i-TRACS laid the foundations for how data from multiple sources – but with a common thread – could be retrieved, selectively combined in a socio-ethically responsible way, analysed and such intelligence used to optimise the identification of prima facie suspect, or known, terrorists and the tracking of their activities.

i-TRACS delivered a "shoe box" Demonstrator (prototype) comprising the tools and technologies for selected end-user scenarios and proved the need, feasibility, relevance and efficiency of the above approach. This was done by a method called "war gaming", which was derived from the field of military operations research. Some project members elected to "play" the role of aggressors and attempt to realise their goals.

The awareness raising programme associated with the project:
(a) Discussed aspects of this approach with interested stakeholders (users, security solution integration providers, other societal stakeholders).
(b) Contributed to relevant European Security Research Agenda workshops to share ideas on methods, best practice, tools and technologies (state-of-the-art) required for the tracking (pro-active, targeted investigations, surveillance) of critical suspected entities.

 

(c) Alerted Member States to the need for harmonisation of laws to enable, but control, access to, and use of, transactional data.
(d) Highlighted the need for innovation towards European tools and methodologies to support counter terrorism at both the European and national levels by developing, executing and analysing use cases at the level of European Directorates with national stakeholder participation.

i-TRACS provided an innovative advanced tracking system allowing Users to anticipate/detect a potential terrorist attack. The solution used lawful communication interception (legacy and new telecommunications sessions) and information mining such as police data, passports and travel databases, as well as international financial transactions.

A User Advisory Group composed of multi-disciplinary experts ensured:
· the quality of the Scientific and Technology basis (industrialists, researchers,   criminologists and civil liberties organisations, financial institutions…),
· the relevance of the evolving i-TRACS solution to the users' needs (government   agencies, polices…),
· the respect for privacy and individual liberties (international associations…).

i-TRACS was pro-active in areas relating to standards and internationally interoperable systems and contributed to the understanding of human factors, social and ethical values.