FBI Portraits

Computational Media

2012

FBI Portraits uses computer analytics to examine text from FBI files that have been made public through FOIA, creating portraits based on the most commonly used descriptive words in each file. Portraits are made of individuals who rely upon the First Amendment — writers, artists, intellectuals and activists — who have exercised the freedom of speech, and have subsequently been scrutinized by FBI agents. By wrangling large amounts of data, the project aims to make information in the public domain more accessible.