Patriot Act II Backfire

Adina blogs in reference to an article by Bruce Schneier:

...So much data is collected that intelligence organizations can't possibly analyze it all. Deciding what to look at can be an impossible task, so substantial amounts of good intelligence go unread and unanalyzed. Data collection is easy; analysis is difficult...

To make the good point that Patriot II will backfire:

The Patriot 2 provisions let the government trawl for data. If there's no need to show probable cause, it's easier to cast a wide net than to catch the tuna and leave the dolphins alone.

There are two ways to gather intelligence. The top-down approach of filters and profiles. Or the bottom-up approach of starting with a lead and working a network. The latter is not only good investigative practice, but it risks less privacy, or in this case civil rights, concerns. The former not only opens the door to abuse, but may have greater cost and is relatively ineffective. Help the analysts be analysts.