Briefs

Privacy advocates are concerned that tax data and other information may be used improperly.

By Dalia Naamani-Goldman, Jan 15, 2007

WASHINGTON � Federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on the Internal Revenue Service and other government repositories of personal financial information as an important source for leads in terrorism investigations.

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To help the IRS increase its ability to organize and share sensitive financial information, the agency's law enforcement arm began in 2002 building a sophisticated data-mining system it named Reveal. Current and former IRS officials say this system has been invaluable in building cases against suspected terrorists and money launderers.

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Using programs called VisuaLinks and the Digital Information Gateway, Reveal can detect and visually depict connections buried in mountains of tax documents, linking employees with employers and charities with donors, by cutting and grouping data using defined models, according to Kevin Hohn, Reveal's founding project manager.

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