Software tracks suspect cell phones.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Security Beat - Brief Article

A Montreal-based company has developed a software program that can profile terrorist suspects by tracking their cellular-phone movements. The firm is now trying to market this technology to U.S. government agencies.

The system is based on "passive location tracking," said Alexandre Legendre, president of Profilium Inc. "Just the fact that your phone is on means the network knows where you are." The company had been marketing the technology in recent years as a means of broadcasting advertisements to cell phone users in specific areas.

Using a technique called "geo-profiling," the software assigns anonymous identification numbers to cellular phone users in a given area of the world, and then collects data about movements and activities. That data can then be used to predict potentially unlawful activity. The system does not require specific phone numbers or any other proprietary information owned by the cell phone providers.

According to Legendre, "Geo-profiling can be used to monitor specific activities, in specific areas at specific times. For example, what...