Monday, December 04, 2006
Using Networks to Fight Networks
Open-Source Spying - New York Times
The New York Times Magazine has published a lengthy article making a simple point: The digital War on Terror must be fought with the the same tools that the modern high-tech terror cell has at its disposal. The inability of our analysts and spy networks to use the same powerful tools of modern information and communications technology, software and networking that are available to the average individual, (not to mention al Queda) is simply frightening. Open source vs. walled gardens. Sharing vs. "need-to-know." Tapping into the swirls of information circling the globe is not possible with a crappy out-dated search engine. Wouldn't you think that the CIA would have the best search capabilities in the world? Wouldn't you think that they would have a secure way to share key information with other defense agencies and each other?
The New York Times Magazine has published a lengthy article making a simple point: The digital War on Terror must be fought with the the same tools that the modern high-tech terror cell has at its disposal. The inability of our analysts and spy networks to use the same powerful tools of modern information and communications technology, software and networking that are available to the average individual, (not to mention al Queda) is simply frightening. Open source vs. walled gardens. Sharing vs. "need-to-know." Tapping into the swirls of information circling the globe is not possible with a crappy out-dated search engine. Wouldn't you think that the CIA would have the best search capabilities in the world? Wouldn't you think that they would have a secure way to share key information with other defense agencies and each other?
