Sunday, March 12, 2006
How hard is privacy? The CIA can't manage it.
"How do you establish a cover for them [CIA covert agents) in a day and age when you can Google a name . . . and find out all sorts of holes?" -- retired CIA analyst Melvin Goodman, quoted in the Chicago Tribune.
The Chicago Tribune, as part of their job, subscribes to all sorts of commercial databases with phone numbers, addresses and so on. Bill collectors use these databases to track people who've skipped out on debts. Newspapers use them for investigative reporting.
The Tribune's latest investigate report was about CIA facility and operative information showing up in commercial databases. They found so much sensitive information that they decided not to publish it or even publish their search techniques. But the vulnerability is still there: "I don't know whether Al Qaeda could do this, but the Chinese could", said an unnamed senior US official.
Hmm. Wonder if we'll see some real privacy legislation pass on national security grounds?
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The Chicago Tribune, as part of their job, subscribes to all sorts of commercial databases with phone numbers, addresses and so on. Bill collectors use these databases to track people who've skipped out on debts. Newspapers use them for investigative reporting.
The Tribune's latest investigate report was about CIA facility and operative information showing up in commercial databases. They found so much sensitive information that they decided not to publish it or even publish their search techniques. But the vulnerability is still there: "I don't know whether Al Qaeda could do this, but the Chinese could", said an unnamed senior US official.
Hmm. Wonder if we'll see some real privacy legislation pass on national security grounds?
# posted by Frederick @ 9:32 AM Email to a friend:
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