Biography
Jeff Jonas is chief scientist of the IBM Entity Analytics group and an IBM Distinguished Engineer. The IBM Entity Analytics group was formed based on technologies developed by Systems Research & Development (SRD), founded by Jonas in 1984 and acquired by IBM in January 2005.
Prior to the IBM's acquisition of SRD, Jonas lead it through the design and development of a number of extraordinary systems including technology used by the surveillance intelligence arm of the gaming industry. Leveraging facial recognition, this technology enabled the gaming industry to protect itself from aggressive card count teams, the most notable known as the MIT team and the subject of the book "Bringing Down the House" as well as the recent movie "21." Today, possibly half the casinos in the world use technology created by Jonas and his SRD team. This work is frequently featured on the Discovery Channel, Learning Channel, and the Travel Channel.
Following an investment in 2001 by In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the CIA, SRD began playing a role in America's national security and counterterrorism mission. One such contribution includes a unique analysis of the connections between the 9/11 terrorists. This "link analysis" is so unique that it is taught in universities and has been the widely cited by think tanks and the media, including an extensive one-on-one interview with Peter Jennings for ABC PrimeTime.
Following IBM's acquisition of SRD, these Jonas-inspired innovations continue to create big impacts on society, including the arrest of over 150 child pornographers and the prevention of a national security risk poised against a significant American sporting event. This technology also assisted in the reunification of over 100 loved ones separated by Hurricane Katrina and at the same time was used to prevent known sexual offenders from being co-located with children in emergency relocation facilities.
Jonas is also somewhat unique as a technologist in that he frequently engages with those in the privacy and civil liberties community. The essential question: How can government protect its citizens while preventing the erosion of long-held freedoms like the Fourth Amendment? With privacy in mind, Jonas invented software which enables organizations to discover records of common interest (e.g., identities) without the transfer of any privacy-invading content. This cryptographic-based technique known as "Anonymous Resolution" delivers extraordinary new levels of privacy protection in areas of critical interest like clinical health care research, bio-surveillance, aviation safety, homeland security, fraud detection and identity theft.
Jonas's innovations have received wide coverage ranging from the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Fortune Magazine to MSNBC. Known for his dynamic speaking style, Jonas frequently travels the world discussing innovation, national security and privacy with government leaders, industry executives, leading global think tanks, privacy advocacy groups, and policy research organizations, including the Center for Democracy and Technology, Heritage Foundation and the Markle Foundation. He is also a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Jonas periodically testifies on privacy and counterterrorism in such venues as the White House before the President's Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, the Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, and other federally convened commissions.
Jonas was briefly a quadriplegic in 1988 following a car accident. Today, he competes in Ironman triathlons around the world. Just this year he completed Ironman Malaysia (2/23/08) and Ironman South Africa (4/13/08). He has been raising three kids over the last 12 years as a single parent.
Jeff Jonas blogs at: http://jeffjonas.typepad.com