Technology's strengths and shortcomings were in the spotlight after Sept. 11.
From cell phones that were used by victims aboard hijacked airplanes to a renewed focus on e-mail following the anthrax incidents, technology was a notable sidebar to the terrorist attacks.
While phone lines were maxed out, millions of people turned to the Internet to communicate with friends and family via instant messaging and e-mail. Many used the Web to research previously little-known organizations such as al-Qaida and the Taliban. And individuals created Web sites to keep track of the missing and dead.
In the aftermath, some foreign workers feared a backlash and privacy advocates were concerned that new law enforcement powers would erode civil rights. And politicians put a renewed focus on technologies such as face-recognition software, bomb-detection equipment and vast databases that could help prevent future attacks.
