All news, All about Intellipedia!

I just saw this Yale Daily News article by Michael Seringhaus, a sixth-year graduate student in the Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics: ‘Intellipedia’? CIA jumps on wiki wagon

Below are some quotes and comments:

Here's the positive:

At a basic level, the new system makes sense. With 16 different agencies, shared goals and many areas of overlap, the intelligence community could likely profit from a comprehensive, communally updated information depository. Ideally, such a system would automate information collation and offer a pre-synthesized crock pot of high-test tattle. Preparing the National Intelligence Estimate would then become simply a matter of bulk-dumping the wiki's contents to a file and whisking it to the president.

And now for some not exactly positive quotes: 

...I doubt Intellipedia will nurture or reward dissenting voices within the intelligence establishment anytime soon. If it doesn't, we've just affixed a multi-agency rubber stamp to the work of the same warmongering misinformation artists who designed and implemented the Iraq war. Jolly good.

Even if we are satisfied with the motives of intelligence staff, the Intellipedia system still raises security concerns. Is it wise to publish sensitive documents en masse to a digital network, and then make them available to thousands of workers from assorted agencies?

The Transportation Security Authority and national laboratories can now access Intellipedia. There is talk of inviting Britain, Canada and Australia to contribute, and even of granting access to China, allegedly so doctors there can comment on avian flu. All this seems like a recipe for trouble. Then again, I've always secretly hoped to see airport baggage handlers and rural Chinese doctors weigh in on American strategic defense policy, so why not? Let the media leaks begin.

Eric Haseltine, chief scientist for the Director of National Intelligence, recently bragged: "We are using wikis, we are using blogs, we are using chat, we are using instant messaging." Impressive haul, Eric: the Four Horsemen of Internet time-wasting, right there. Just add Facebook and you'll have a full house.

It is gratifying to note that Mark Foley's very public loss to instant messenger-fueled temptation last month seemingly has not curbed government enthusiasm for fun Internet distraction.

In a sense, Intellipedia is a sobering reminder of just how ho-hum the intelligence community really is. We glamorize the business: Spies are patriotic charmers with high-tech gadgets, and analysts are devoted and omniscient eggheads with advanced computers and top-secret software. It's deflating, then, when the CIA squeals over publicly available open-source hand-me-downs like a child on Christmas morning. Yeah, wikis are cool. We know. We use them.

Sigh. Does this mean there's no laser watch?

Sigh. The world is not always really not like how Hollywood presents it... (Digression: Though sometimes Hollywood does tell true stories. I just saw "Catch a Fire." An eye-opening story and excellent movie!)

Posted by eMarv at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Reuters article.

"...the [Wikipedia] format known for its openness is key to the future of American espionage."

Wow! Key is the word! Imagine that, the government using an open system to open up! I wonder if and how the new spy movies to come will use Intellipedia. They'd probably have to spice it up a bit and create a Minority Report system-like interface or better yet use virtual worlds like Second Life. (If you go there, feel free to add me as a friend. I'm eMarv Alturas.) What do you think? What kind of movie would it be?

"Less restrictive versions exist for 'secret' and 'sensitive but unclassified' material."

Wouldn't it be great to have one version that can effectively handle all versions? 

"Intellipedia is currently being used to assemble a major intelligence report, known as a national intelligence estimate, on Nigeria as well as the State Department's annual country reports on terrorism, officials said."

Great to hear! The State Department is also participating.

"Some day it may also be the path intelligence officials take to produce the president's daily intelligence briefing."

Intellipedia may produce the president's daily brief! Very cool!

Dr. Wertheimer comment: "We're taking a risk," acknowledged Michael Wertheimer, the intelligence community's chief technical officer. "There's a risk it's going to show up in the media, that it'll be leaked."

There are risks in everything that everyone does. The key is risk management, not risk avoidance. The clearance has to mean something...

"Intelligence officials are so enthusiastic about Intellipedia that they plan to provide access to Britain, Canada and Australia."

What do you think about this? IMO, this can only be a good thing. Would you add anyone else to the list? If so, who else would you add?

A final very interesting quote:

Even China could be granted access to help produce an unclassified intelligence estimate on the worldwide threat posed by infectious diseases.

"We'd hope to get down to the doctor in Shanghai who may have a useful contribution on avian flu," senior intelligence analyst Fred Hassani said.

WOW! Why can't this happen now?

Posted by eMarv at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)