SkyNet does exist, but it's too early for the terminators

According to The Intercept , renowned journalist Ahmad Mouffak Zaydan came under the sights of an automatic system that tracks down terrorists by analyzing data from mobile networks. He was added to the blacklist on suspicion of involvement in al-Qaeda.



A few years ago, Edward Snowden gave secret presentations to journalists, from which it became known that the NSA (NSA), the US National Security Agency, had a system under the threatening name SKYNET. Presentations describe in detail the principles of the system.

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This SKYNET will not be able to launch nuclear missiles in automatic mode and wipe out most of humanity. But she is able to handle large amounts of data received from GSM networks. It tracks blacklisted people and highlights suspicious patterns of behavior. The system uses cloud technology and machine learning.







The system keeps track of traveling people from the list, determines what they do on arrival at the place they call. Do often travel the same route. Do they change SIM cards or maybe turn off your phone often. With whom the coordinates of their telephones intersect (which indicates possible meetings). Does the person’s phone not work exclusively on incoming calls? And checks for various combinations of similar data.



An algorithm that attempts to identify the behavior of al Qaeda couriers moving between the operations centers of this organization also worked for the journalist. Traveling journalist, searching for sources of information and interviewing people, turned out to be similar to the movement of couriers.



By the way, the NSA has a program that is very similar in essence to SkyNet from a famous movie. She is called MonsterMind and it also became known from Snowden, who told about her last year.



The program works with cyber attacks, and, as planned, should quickly detect and block attempts of such attacks aimed at the United States. Analyzing huge volumes of traffic, it is designed not only to counter cyber threats, but also to strike back in the event of a computer invasion. But for some reason, she was unable to help anything, for example, in the latest scandalous case of breaking into the networks of the White House, in which they accused Russian hackers.