CIA, FBI Push Social Networking for Spies

node7 writes "The FBI, NSA, and CIA are jointly supporting a newly created 'MySpace' for the intelligence community. Named 'A-Space,' the site will contain highly classified material, so naturally, it won't be available to the public. From CNN: '[Michael Wertheimer, assistant deputy director of national intelligence for analysis] demonstrated the program to CNN to show how analysts will use it to collaborate. "One perfect example is if Osama bin Laden comes out with a new video. How is that video obtained? Where are the very sensitive secret sources we may have to put into a context that's not apparent to the rest of the world?" Wertheimer said. "In the past, whoever captured that video or captured information about the video kept it in-house. It's highly classified because it has so very short a shelf life. That information is considered critical to our understanding."'"

A-Space music video?

Did I read that right? You can put Osama bin Laden's newest music video on your A-Space profile page?

Honeypot

Maybe it's just because I'm a sick bastard, but I'd leave a single access point open to this network on the internet. Protect the living hell out of it, so only the leet could get in. And then make it a honeypot, not connecting to anything real.

But instead hosting video of alien autopsies, fake Apollo moon landing movie sets, documents about how the CIA shot JFK, letters from the Bavarian Illuminati ordering the war in Iraq...stuff like that.

unfortunate or appropriate?

depending on your outlook "A"-space is asking for them to be the butt of a lot of jokes. pun intended

Just Plain Wrong...

MySpace is for kids who want to play the latest emo music and pointless clicky things. I can just imagine spies with anime icons.

Re:

Clearly you have never met any intelligence analysts. More and more they tend to be younger geeks.

Re:Just Plain Wrong...

Of course I haven't met 'em. If I had then they would have had to kill me. Though I think one might be hiding in the tree out back.

Re:Just Plain Wrong...

No, thats just me. *waves*

Re:Just Plain Wrong...

Get off of my WiFi!

Re:Just Plain Wrong...

Well, you know there's going to be spies who try to be friends with EVERYBODY, regardless of weather or not they know each other. Then the constant unsolicited friend requests from the CIA's latest emo-folk-rock band.

Members of A-Space will have to deal with messages like "Are you the Agent Schwartz who graduated from black ops school in Langley back in '84? OMG it's been so long! What have you been up to?"

Finally, you'll get generals commanding their subordinates to join their gang in Mob Wars so they can put the smack down on the mob run by some rival admirals.

Naming?

Is there a logic behind the name? Do they mean A-Space as in "a space" as in "it's a space, somewhere, but we won't tell you where or whose it is."

Or, do they mean a space for the A-Team.

(Please say it's the second option)

James Bond in the 21st Century.

Now, all he has to do is go to these sites and he can hook up with the hot Chinese and Russian spies.

But, he'll have to be careful! You never know if the profile picture is faked and it's really Dr. Evil posting!!

Re:James Bond in the 21st Century.

If the hot Chinese "spy" says she's 14, James can be pretty sure it's really Chris Hansen.

"Have a seat, Mr. Bond."

Good idea?

I was under the impression that the identity of the sources of information in the intelligence world were very carefully guarded to protect those sources. Even some of the information is often not distributed because it might give clues to the identity of the source.

Myspace for spies doesn't sound like anything a self respecting (non-suicidal) spy would want anything to do with.

Analysts, on the other hand, talking about things they see on TV, might love it.

Interesting

They have been up to some interesting things. Sharing information really isn't the CIA or NSA's normal routine.This is a organization that still calls spies "collaborators" after all.

I do know that they also have a Wiki system up for sharing information. It's going to make tracking down leaks much much harder, but it will help eliminate the kind of intellegence gotcha's that hurt us on 9/11. Some of the other restrictions - thoose in laws will still be a issue, but hopefully this well help address things.

Don't look for the domestic groups to get too involved though - the chain of evidence rules would restrict them too much, which is a shame.
 

Social networking??

The KGB is a pirate become a pirate today.
Aldrich Ames and the the CIA are now friends
Robert Hanssen and The FBI are now friends
Aldrich Ames and The KGB are now friends they found each other through the soviet consulate in Washington D.C.
Robert Hanssen and The KGB are now friends they found each other through The GRU
Robert Hanssen is sharing The FBI's secrets with The Espionage Application
The FBI is wondering why his business is all in the streets.
Aldrich Ames is going to Moscow!!!
Aldrich Ames just got busted (Aspace Mobile)
Robert Hanssen LOL @ Aldrich Ames, amateur
Aldrich Ames has joined Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex
Robert Hanssen is wondering what took the FBI so long (Aspace Mobile)

A Space?

Does this mean that 13 year old girls are going to pretend to be FBI agents now?

Re:

It's not clear from the article whether it's actually on the web, or whether it's on a private network. I'd hope the latter.

On another note, I can imagine some of the standard social networking tropes: "Current Music: Mission Impossible Theme."

Re:Hacker Target

It will be in a private restricted network operated by the government. You can't even send packets on that network without a top secret security clearance. Despite all the screwups of most of government, there are a few things they do right. And you will never come near it.

Re:Hacker Target

It's always cute when people have such faith in their government/military/intelligence institutions.

In the real world, they do take a bit more care than most, but somebody will screw up sooner or later.

Re:Hacker Target

It would not be on the web - it would be on SIPRnet, the governments own secure IP network that (at least in theory) doesn't touch the public web.

I expect that they will actually have multiple different systems. Top Secret really isn't all that secret. It's once you get to eyes only levels above that things are interesting.

Re:

This could also be a giant honeypot to try and catch intruders. Or not. Not like many of us will see this anyway (unless it all ends up on Wikileaks).

Re:Hacker Target

you can get in the just use the login Joshua but you need to find the phone # to get in.

What middle?

What middle? It will be on an internal government network that is isolated from the internet. The "man in the middle" will be whatever agency is managing this (CIA? NSA? If I were to tell you I'd have to kill you).

Re:What middle?

Just sit in the Pentagon parking lot with a wardriving kit and you will have no problem getting in.

Ha, ha! Silly boy. You've obviously never been to the Pentagon. If you try this, within a few minutes a very nice gentleman with a very large automatic weapon will politely ask you what you are doing. And you had better be able to satisfactorily explain yourself.

Re:Applications?

They should create a parallel site like Slashdot, called Spydot, where intelligence can be moderated (Score 5: Funny).