Based on our knowledge of the Bureau’s investigative capability, we’re guessing this is not about giving the Bureau a capability it doesn’t already have. We suspect it’s a drinking-from-a-firehose problem: if they can’t automate some of these functions, they won’t be able to keep up. From PCMag’s FBI Looking for a Good Facebook-Snooping App:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for a better way to spy on Facebook and Twitter users. That’s pretty much the gist of a new FedBizOpps.gov post from the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) soliciting proposals for an app capable of sniffing through online media sites and social networks.  Read more »