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Google and the CIA?
snottgoblin writes "DailyTech has an article suggesting that Google might be involved in a partnership with the CIA. The article also quotes a former CIA officer that Google's refusal to comply with the DOJ over privacy issues was 'a little hypocritical [...] because they were heavily in bed with the Central Intelligence Agency.'" Because I'm sure no one would go on the air and try to drum up a scandal aimed at the biggest target they can find.
I would not be surprised in such a relationship as there has been a collaborative arrangement at least going back to the Google Earth project. For instance, when Google Earth was demoed to the folks at the NRO and NIMA, there was a collective smacking of foreheads followed by a long silence as they all realized that this was an easy way to represent data using superimposable layers. Soon after, agreements were reached with Google for technology development in exchange for funding and a significant amount of space in the South Bay area.
The fact that Google is very good at their core market (search engines and relational databases) and is aggressively entering new markets in a variety of fields, should make them an attractive partner for many federal agencies that cannot seem to get their IT $#!^ together (I'm talking to you, Robert Mueller).
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Good luck. Nobody ever really leaves The Company.
Agency.... It is "The Agency", and yes, you can leave the Agency. People do it all the time. The thing you have to remember is that the CIA is a huge organization with most folks being support personnel for the large numbers of analysts. There is a small group in R&D, and an even smaller group in direct operations.
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Google is working with the CIA to overthrow Yahoo and install a puppet regime in South MSN to counter potential communist forces in the north.
Sure, you can leave The Company. Oh, you meant alive . (cue Three Days of the Condor theme)
Explains a few things though.
Consider the whole Iraq/WMD thing. Maybe CIA punched in a few keywords into intel.google.com/beta/search?q=WMD+iraq and ignored the fact that it was still in Beta.
Of course with this administration, we're talking about a bunch of people who wouldn't have noticed that the beta of intel.google.com was launched alongside amd.google.com...
....and yes, you can leave the Agency. People do it all the time.
Yeah, but you gotta live in a weird village, drive around in golf carts, and wear a big "#6"-type pin on your lapel.
The CIA is often referred to as "The Company". You're simply wrong.
OK Geoff, you have stumbled into the long raging debate in some circles as to why it is referred to as The Agency or The Company. Each group has its preferences and the usage is based upon where you place your allegiances.
You're simply wrong. And dumb.
Watch who you call dumb. The face you put up on your Flicker stream does not look that smart to me.
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You're a "Retinal neurophysiology scientist" and you think that intelligence comes from the face?
Geoff, chill dude. It was a humorous verbal parry against your insult of calling me dumb. Of course I don't think that, but you should not go around calling folks dumb either, eh?
Wow, America's education system really is doomed. Or maybe it's just the inbred retards in higher education in Utah.
Ah, now you *are* showing your ignorance and insulting all the good folks of Utah as well. As to your ignorance, have you ever considered that it might be that many of the folks in Utah are actually not from Utah? I am actually a Texan that moved to Utah. As to your insult of Utahns, I've actually found it pretty nice here. The people are not as friendly as they are in Texas, but they are smart, hard working and peaceable.
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Well, Geoff's unnecessary cock-etry aside, if it's an ongoing debate why did you feel the need to weigh in and correct him, hmmm? Hmmm?
Because people in the know, *know*. And we don't need Hollywood or people shilling for book deals screwing up history for us.
Plus, y'know... the fact that you obviously took the time to go cyberstalking some random poster who called you a cock on the internet.. well... kind of suggests he might be right.
Cyberstalking nothing. He had it linked from his own page which required what? two clicks to find it. Geoff could have simply tried to correct the post, but instead resorted to dropping a lame insult, so why should we expect that would not go unanswered? I tried to be gentle about it and give him a little ribbing, but apparently he is unable to laugh at himself. So, come on now.
Now, the link you posted to John Gabriel's site is funny, so thank you for that, but I am not looking for these folks. I had a bit of time sitting in the airport lounge and responded to a direct post.
Best,
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