A method and system for capturing and characterizing data displayed on a workstation screen, and user manipulation, to support auditing and data mining of user information access. Capture and characterization are independent of application and network connectivity, so data from different applications can be captured, characterized, and analyzed and correlated in a uniform manner. Screen data is captured as machine-readable text-string words associated with meta-data attributes detailing circumstances and characteristics of screen data presentation, and user control of software applications and windows. Characteristics include: workstation identifier; application; date and time of display; coordinates of screen data; window opening, closing, and scrolling; searching, copying, printing, and saving. The invention can be used to determine patterns of normal operation, to investigate information access misuse, and as a watchdog for alerts to potentially abusive information access practices.