Bazaars in the Government Cathedral

guanxi writes: "This article by James Fallows in The Atlantic is one of the most interesting I've read all year. It describes how innovators in government are applying the concept of the Bazaar: The many eyes of 'Open-Source Intelligence' movement that provides better intelligence than classified sources, and a b2b-like marketplace created by World Bank employees that distributes aid more efficiently than the bureaucratic process."

Comments

Re:Source?

[Goonie]

IIRC, "open source intelligence" has another meaning for real spooks - it's intelligence gleaned by reading public sources (newspapers, trade publications, scientific journals, websites etc).

From what little I've read about the area, for some sorts of intelligence-gathering this gets as much info as cloak-and-dagger stuff.

However, presumably what they're talking about here is using bazaar techniques (mailing lists, whatever) to help share and evaluate intelligence information. That's probably not a bad idea either, if you can manage the security risk.

The Telephone Game?

[Rayonic]

I just hope the information isn't passed through too many hands (or too many languages):

> They will strike the White House on the 27th of September.

> Ils heurteront Maison Blanche sur le 27ème septembre.

> Sie werden sich weißes Haus auf 27. September stoßen.

> ih biti njoj samoj bjeloa dom da 27. rujan aktivnost.

> áü á áëçí îí÷ííé îí âî ä äëü 27. íáü äí ü.

> ay 27. .

> Their close amplitude modulation her six flower bone territory ay reservation 27. September attack.

Bah, I'll probably get modded down for this.