physics

SEXINT

SEXINT is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SEXINT rather than just read about it. In short: SEXINT is the practice of monitoring and/or characterizing/indexing the pornographic preferences of internet users in an effort to later use the information for blackmail. The term is a portmanteau of sexual intelligence retrieved on an intelligence service target and was first used by Jennifer Granick, Director of Civil Liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

Key takeaways

SEXINT belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SEXINT to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SEXINT from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SEXINT is the practice of monitoring and/or characterizing/indexing the pornographic preferences of internet users in an effort to later use the information for blackmail. The term is a portmanteau of sexual intelligence retrieved on an intelligence service target and was first used by Jennifer Granick, Director of Civil Liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

Uses The term was first used specifically in reference to the practice by Five Eyes member, the National Security Agency of the United States of America. It is unclear how often these programs and methods are used in comparison to other Five Eyes initiatives such as Optic Nerve (GCHQ), and XKEYSCORE. A leaked NSA document from October 2012 identified six people, all Muslims, whom the document termed "radicalizers" and presented as potential targets of this method. The document does not accuse any of the six targets of involvement in terrorist plots, but rather states that "the NSA believes the targeted individuals radicalize people through the expression of controversial ideas via YouTube, Facebook and other social media websites".

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SEXINT

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SEXINT claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SEXINT before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SEXINT ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SEXINT

In research: SEXINT appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SEXINT in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SEXINT is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American secret government programs, Human rights, Human rights abuses, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SEXINT outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SEXINT in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SEXINT means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SEXINT out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SEXINT in simple terms?

Why does SEXINT matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SEXINT?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SEXINT.