Cyber Crime Fighters: Tales from the Trenches

15Who Is Tracking Your Online Activities?

If a serial killer is on the loose, law enforcement may use a “criminal profiler”—someone who is trained to analyze all facets of the crime, including the modus operandi, frequency, habits, and psychology of the prospective killer. With enough information and evidence, a hauntingly accurate portrait of the killer can be drawn—for example, “repressed, white male, approximately 30 to 40 years of age, who has narcissistic tendencies, may have served in the military, and is now living in the South”.

You’ve Been Profiled—Data Aggregators

Profiling is also used in many ways to monitor some of your daily activities without you even realizing it. It can include what items get scanned ...