Is the TrapWire Surveillance Network Really Evil?

Rumors and speculation about the digital surveillance system TrapWire have been flying around the web since the newfound information about the system surfaced in a recent WikiLeaks release.

Public knowledge about TrapWire is scant. But it certainly has the makings of a global security conspiracy: ex-CIA officiers, counterterrorism surveillance and mysterious private intelligence firms all play a role in the story. Some commentators have portrayed TrapWire as a 1984-style massive global network of interlinked security cameras and other watching devices.

If it sounds like the rumors are straight out of a spy novel and couldn't be real, you're probably right: The truth of TrapWire is likely much less ominous than it's been made out to be.

What Is TrapWire?

TrapWire is a counterterrorism video intelligence-gathering program developed in 2004 by the Abraxas Corporation, a private intelligence firm with ex-CIA members on staff. The software scans video footage for signs of pre-attack planning: taking photos or video of a potential target, for example. Users can teach the software which kinds of activity it should view as suspicious. TrapWire is marketed to governments, law enforcement and private corporations.

As official Abraxas marketing documentation acquired by Bitdefender put it, TrapWire "dramatically increases the ability to detect pre-attack preparations and to take appropriate action to detect, deter and intercept terrorist attacks."

Much of the reporting about TrapWire in recent days has been based on emails sent between high-level employees of another security firm, Stratfor. WikiLeaks released those emails several months ago. Stratfor was apparently working with Abraxas and TrapWire to market the system and analyze intelligence that the system recorded, then deliver that information to clients.

According to the Stratfor emails, TrapWire was or still is in place at "every [high-value target] in New York City, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, London and Ottawa." It was also in place at government buildings in Texas after an apparently intense lobbying effort.

What About the Rumors?

The secrecy of Abraxas, TrapWire and Stratfor — none of which returned a request for comment for this article — combined with the mystique of WikiLeaks created a perfect environment for rumors about TrapWire's extensiveness and information-gathering power to quickly spread around the Internet. However, there are three reasons why TrapWire is likely not the Big Brother-esque global spy network it's been made out to be:

1. The credibility of Stratfor, whose emails have been the primary source of early reporting about TrapWire, has been throughly demonstrated to be questionable at best. The organization has been accused of self-aggrandizement in an effort to promote itself and get more business.

"The group has spent over a decade trying to convince the world that it is a for-hire, cutting-edge intel firm with tentacles everywhere," wrote Max Fisher for The Atlantic in February, before TrapWire was making headlines. "That theory, like so much of Stratfor's 'intelligence,' was discredited long ago."

Additionally, the New York Police Department's chief spokesman has patently denied claims in Stratfor emails that security cameras in the city's subways were tied into the TrapWire network (the NYPD recently announced its involvement with a similar, Microsoft-backed project called the Domain Awareness System, a project that makes involvement with TrapWire redundant).

2. According to publicly available documents on TrapWire's website, "Generally, no Personal Information or Sensitive Personal Information is recorded by the TrapWire system, and no such information is used by the system to perform its various functions," per European safe harbor law. While any statements regarding privacy from a security firm about its own products are rightfully taken with due skepticism, TrapWire is a company that reportedly does business in Europe. Therefore, it has an interest in subscribing to European privacy law.

3. The Department of Homeland Security used TapWire on an experimental basis, but the program was canceled after it was deemed "not promising," according to the The New York Times. Unhappy customers likely means the product doesn't meet the advertised goals.

Questions Remain

Reports based on the alleged internal emails of a private security firm with an interest in appearing powerful should not serve as the only source for information about TrapWire. However, the WikiLeaks release rightfully raises questions about TrapWire, its implementation and its impact on personal privacy. Two points that immediately come to mind are the location and number of cameras that are part of the network, and details about how the system differentiates between tourists taking vacation photos and terrorists staking out a target.

Do you think TrapWire's creators should be more transparent and forthcoming about the system? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, adventtr