Spy Agencies Turn To Online Sources For Info

palegray.net sends us to US News and World Report for an article about increased spy agency use of online sources. Turning to well-known destinations such as NPR and Wikipedia, folks in the intelligence world are increasingly filling their reports with information gleaned from the public domain. "A few days ago, a senior officer at the Pentagon called his intelligence officer into his office. The boss had heard a news report about China while driving to his office and wanted some answers. It wasn't a tough assignment, given the news coverage, but there was a hitch. 'There was plenty of information in the public domain about the topic,' recalls the intelligence officer, a 10-year veteran. 'And yet, if there wasn't some classified information cited in my report, the boss would never believe it was accurate.'"

Comments

Online sources are usually pretty accurate

[Anonymous Coward]

Just ask United Airlines.

I wonder if they use Wikipedia?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can you imagine if they got into an edit war with Osama on Wikipedia?

Re:I wonder if they use Wikipedia?

[Dogtanian]

If they use Wikipedia, I wonder what they'll make of edits like the following:-

"Osama Bin Laden is generally considered to be one of the leading inspirations of global terrorism AND MR SMITH IS HIS BOYFRIEND LOL!!!!! ALSO KIM SMELLS and a leading component of the so-called "axis of evil".

"Sir, it appears that Osama Bin Laden is associated with previously unknown figure called 'Mr. Smith'. Further investigations reveal that Mr.Smith is Michael James Smith, an English teacher at Buttfuck Middle School, Illinois."

"Excellent work... have him arrested as soon as possible, and don't let him get away. He may have valuable information on his homosexual lover Bin Laden, or even be a part of the conspiracy himself. Also, find out who the fuck this mysterious 'Kim' girl is."

"Rumour has it that she's an adversary of the person who contributed this information anonymously via a Buttfuck Education Board IP address, and that she may be one of three girls between ten and thirteen years old."

"I'm beginning to suspect that this information might not be quite as reliable as we'd hoped."

"So you suspect that Kim doesn't smell after all?"

I have a super secure method to protect me

[Anonymous Coward]

It's called robots.txt

Official Report 3999

[Rie Beam]

"Due to increased intelligence gathering online, we have come to believe fighters in Iraq have developed some sort of animal growth hormone, capable of increasing fertility exponentially. What they plan to do with it is unknown, but the fact stands, the elephant population in Africa has tripled over the past six months!

Trivia:
* African elephants are not normally found all over Africa
* Elephants have been in many films, and tend to be used as trucks"

Well duh! It's not sexy

[istartedi]

"I pulled facts from the public domain and fit them together into a well-researched report with accurate citations". Booooring.

"I'm presenting this report because I know you're cleared, and I believe you have the need to know. It's TOP SECRET, Compartmentalized, Code Fushia". Sex-ay!

Re:Where are the terrorists at?

[davester666]

I read it on Wikipedia!

It's must be true.

Re:Well duh! It's not sexy

[e4g4]

Hate to be a language usage/spelling nazi, but fuchsia is spelled that way, and the phrase you're looking for in your sig is "For all intents and purposes" - whether or not the purposes are intensive is irrelevant.

Re:are you joking?

[Anonymous Coward]

We read slashdot too.

Re:How naive can people get?

[Alsee]

canada has some of the best covert ops and communications interceptions people in the world.

I've never trusted those goddamn Canadians.

Their in it with the gays - building landingstrips for the aliens.

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