Swiss researcher Pedro Pinto and his colleagues at cole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne suggest using the Sparse Interference algorithm to make tracking down the origins of internet threats more efficient. The algorithm only needs a few clues to confidently identify the origin of, for example, a bogus email or a terrorist posting. Monitoring only a few chat room participants or social network members is sufficient to reliably pinpoint the originator. The researchers say that the algorithm can even be used to predict the origin and potential proliferation of a biological weapon or infectious disease using existing data and potential distribution pathways.”]