USA Secret Service reported that wants to buy analytical computer programs that are able to synthesize data from social media and provide this information in a visual form.
The orders ask for a long list of specific tools, including the ability to identify social media influencers, analyze data streams in real time, access old Twitter data and use heat maps. And it wants the software to be compatible with Internet Explorer 8.
Then there's the request to sift through the heaps of snark on Twitter and other social media services: "Ability to detect sarcasm and false positives," the request reads.
Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the request would allow the Secret Service to create its own system for monitoring Twitter – both its own footprint in social media and the important issues that are trending on the social network.
“Our objective is to automate our social media monitoring process. The ability to detect sarcasm and false positives is just one of 16 or 18 things we are looking at,” he added.
