NEW SOFTWARE that is able to track the behaviour of criminals on social media websites, has been created by a US national defence firm.
The controversial spyware, called Riot [Rapid Information Overlay Technology], is said to mine vast amounts of information from websites such as Facebook and Twitter to give a "detailed picture of their life" and will be used to predict where they might be in future and who they might be with, reports the Metro.co.uk.
US-based group Raytheon, who are the world’s fifth largest defence contractor, said the software had not yet been sold to any clients but confirmed that it has been shared with the US government as part of a 2010 joint research program.
Nick Pickles, of Big Brother Watch, said the technology raised concerns about data protection.
He told the Metro: "This reinforces how privacy has been undermined online. People have been sharing large information about themselves on social networks without knowing the consequences of it. Now companies are looking at how to join the dots."
"I wouldn’t be surprised if the government and companies in Britain are looking at using it."