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August 21, 2007

CIA to launch "Facebook for spies"

The CIA is planning to launch the espionage equivalent of Facebook to help its employees process information collaboratively:

The CIA is to open a communications tool for its staff, modeled on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, the Financial Times reports.

The project, known as A-Space, aims to improve the way that intelligence agents communicate, it said.

Officials believe that the online workplace will allow staff to better analyse information together.

However to ease fears of undercover workers having their cover blown, participation will be voluntary. [BBC]

A-Space is scheduled to go live in December.

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Jason Bourne
Jason is on your friends enemies list

Interests: martial arts, hand to hand combat, Treadstone, Blackbriar, revenge, using household objects as weapons, Swiss bank accounts, sniper rifles, amnesia, staying alive

And they actually think this is a good thing to do? Like the site couldn't possibly get hacked?

Blackop69: hey cointelpro3 - did we hang out in that bar in somolia that one time. if it is you know know what happened.
CointelPro3: BO: where I was during Somolia is compartmentalized, and I should report you for asking. Whatever you got up to, it wasn't me.
Blackop69: ok geez i was just going to friend you
LonelyAnalyst: Anyone want to chat?
Blackop69: get lost lonley friggen deskjockey
Blackop69: *lonely
CointelPro3 has logged off.
LonelyAnalyst has logged off.
Blackop69: where did everyone go

More seriously,

And they actually think this is a good thing to do? Like the site couldn't possibly get hacked?

They have IT systems now. This is unlikely to be any less secure than those. (Unlikely to be any more efficient, either, but that could be considered a good thing...) They aren't going to put a "make a profile now!" link in the toolbar at cia.gov.

This is most likey just a pet project for someone with budget left over - spend it this year or lose it next, as they say.

With spies involved, wouldn't the potential for mendacity be even greater than on most social networking sites?

LOLOL! Sergei poked me!! Oh...wait...that was no...ordinary poke...X|

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