BBN Technologies, the maker of audio analytics software like that used in services like Podzinger, is helping the U.S. government to launch what has been called Spying 2.0.

In truth, it is a lot more benign than the buzz might have to believe. BBN has developed a system that will allow government intelligence agencies to translate foreign language television and audio and search it for phrases of interest. These phrases, of course, include anything that may be construed as anti-American.

While it’s easy to say that this sort of thing is an infringement of privacy, and usually I would be the first one to say it, lets not and see how it works out. Intelligence agencies have and always will do everything in their power to mine information, any technology that makes this mining more transparent can only serve to improve the accuracy of the intelligence gathered. At the end of the day, accurate intelligence keeps everyone just a little safer.

Then again, when you look at some of these transcripts (“Did not professional background political motive for fighting veil as might be introduction,”) you’re reminded that technology like this still has quite a long way too go.

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