Connect (computer system)

Connect is a new social network analysis software data mining computer system developed by HMRC (UK) that cross-references business's and people's tax records with other databases to establish fraudulent or undisclosed (misdirected) activity.

History

HMRC introduced Connect in the summer of 2010; it was not fully functioning. Around 350 HMRC employees are involved with Connect, who work with an analytical compliance environment. [1] Connect was developed by BAE Systems Applied Intelligence (former Detica in Surrey) for £45m.[2][3]

From September 2016, Connect will interface with financial information from British Overseas Territories; these have been known tax havens. From 2017 Connect will interface with around sixty other OECD countries.

Tax avoidance is legal, but tax evasion is not.

Sources of information

Connect cross-references information from many other UK government databases, including:

The HMRC also independently looks at Google Earth.

Technology

The system deploys the chi-squared test and Benford's law to look for anomalous tax receipts. The system is operated by the Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS) division of HMRC. The software combines analytic tools (Enterprise Guide) from SAS Institute, which collects the information, and NetReveal from BAE Systems AI, which collates it into meaningful information.

Purpose

Connect looks for income disparities, often caused by undeclared income. If someone drives an expensive car, but does not have the income to run one or afford one, Connect can discover this.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Times, 14 September 2012,
  2. ↑ Telegraph December 2014
  3. ↑ BAE Systems
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