NationStates Jolt Archive

In search for foreign intelligence, CIA turn to YouTube , MySpace.
Thursday February 7, 2008

With rapidly advancing technology spreading across the globe, US spies are shifting their focus from surreptitiously photographing secret Soviet documents to trolling the Internet for what could be the next key nugget of foreign intelligence.

Among the most valuable sources, one top spook says, are blogs, MySpace and other Web 2.0 hallmarks.

"We're looking now at YouTube, which carries some unique and honest-to-goodness intelligence," Doug Naquin, director of the CIA's Open Source Center said in a recent speech to CIA retirees.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/In_search_for_foreign_intelligence_spies_0207.html
OK so, maybe someone at the the CIA thinks some Chinese/Russians/Israeli/Korean spies are listing their names/addresses at Facebook :D

Once again proving that you know jack-shit about intelligence.

Most of the collected intelligence, is derived from open sources. That they should seek to look at these sorts of sources is amazing. Is there little wonder that the CIA had multiple subscriptions to Pravda throughout the Cold War.

More than that, the potential for leaks and slips from people in the governments of other countries on the internet is amazing. If college age kids are likely to ruin their lives with the photos they put on facebook, what might a disgrutled clerical worker say on youtube?

OK so, maybe someone at the the CIA thinks some Chinese/Russians/Israeli/Korean spies are listing their names/addresses at Facebook :DWhy spies? Intelligence can be gathered on individual soldiers as well. That's probably why Australian military personnel Facebook pages get screened by their superiors or someone in charge of making sure no sensitive information is released.

Intelligence is not James Bond, intelligence is surfing the net, reading textbooks and snooping through personal phone calls between Hu Jintao and his wife, and on and on down the line of leadership.

If the enemies of the united states talk about their attack plans on youtube than they are stupider than I thought.

There's no intelligence on this here series of tubes. There's only unintelligent and more unintelligent.

There's no intelligence on this here series of tubes. There's only unintelligent and more unintelligent.
Which is exactly what intelligence services are shooting for: Unintelligent revealing of valuable information.

Which is exactly what intelligence services are shooting for: Unintelligent revealing of valuable information.

:eek:

*starts being more careful about mentioning that seckrit porn stash*

:eek:

*starts being more careful about mentioning that seckrit porn stash*

too late, we already know about it.

and Ifreann... interesting collection there...

too late, we already know about it.

and Ifreann... interesting collection there...

I didn't even know people were interested in that sort of...thing... :eek:

:eek:

*starts being more careful about mentioning that seckrit porn stash*ohh!!

where is the booty :D show us the booty !!!

CIA-trolls?:confused:
Are there CIA-humans?

OK so, maybe someone at the the CIA thinks some Chinese/Russians/Israeli/Korean spies are listing their names/addresses at Facebook :D
It's not necessarily a bad idea. People will often use public channels to send encrypted information, since the message travels further that way, and if the encryption key is secure, nobody's going to be able to break it anyway. If intelligence agencies can get hold of the right keys, a wealth of information may be exposed travelling in the most obvious of places.

CIA,
here it is! for your eyes only

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-ru6jGYBdA

CIA:
here it is,
for your eyes only!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-ru6jGYBdA
did not want

I didn't even know people were interested in that sort of...thing... :eek:

you'ld be surprised what sort of things people are interested in. :p

And this is why the US has so many "intellegence disasters"...

you'ld be surprised what sort of things people are interested in. :p

Yeah, but I thought the animated intelligent sea otters from South Park would be a safe zone...

It would seem remiss of intelligence agencies to ignore information, whatever its source. After all, YouTube, MySpace, blogs etc. are means of communication and may divulge information useful in the gathering of intelligence. They should be monitored like other media, not ignored simply because they are deemed too lowbrow or commonplace.