BIG BROTHER IS INVESTING IN YOU: Silicon Valley and Spy Agency Bound by Strengthening Web. “Silicon Valley has what the spy agency wants: vast amounts of private data and the most sophisticated software available to analyze it. The agency in turn is one of Silicon Valley’s largest customers for what is known as data analytics, one of the valley’s fastest-growing markets. To get their hands on the latest software technology to manipulate and take advantage of large volumes of data, United States intelligence agencies invest in Silicon Valley start-ups, award classified contracts and recruit technology experts like Mr. Kelly.”

This is also why it’s possible that know-how from NSA projects found its way into the Obama Campaign’s vaunted Big Data operation.