According to an article published yesterday in the NYT, the government secretly reviewed bank transaction data following 9/11 in order to trace ties to terrorist organizations. In the pursuit of quick results, however, some concerns for jurisprudence may have been cast aside as ballast. Reports Times:

"The program, however, is a significant departure from typical practice in how the government acquires Americans' financial records. Treasury officials did not seek individual court-approved warrants or subpoenas to examine specific transactions, instead relying on broad administrative subpoenas for millions of records..."

The name of the Belgian co-op that analyzed the transactions? Swift.

Data gleaned helped catch several al-Qaida operatives, but, to burnish a chestnut, at what price freedom?

"Bank Data Secretly Reviewed by U.S. to Fight Terror" [NYT]