The Spycraft Revolution

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/27/the-spycraft-revolution-espionage-technology/

by hsnewman • 7 years ago

150 34 7 years ago

I'm pretty open (within legal bounds) about my time in the operational and technical intelligence world, to the consternation of others in the field, and would say that this article is dead on with it's analysis.

One thing that I try to get across to people is that, Intelligence as a discipline is fundamentally about servicing the Instrument of National Power [1] of "Information."

In that context, the manner in which information is tasked, collected, processed, analyzed and used to make decisions on is a forever moving target, which the Intelligence Community is very well aware of.

The really interesting question here is, what happens when commercial and consumer information systems (eg Google, Facebook, Huawei, Tencent) are able to deploy collection sensors and do information processing at a much larger scale than any individual nation state? The balance of Information power starts to shift away from nations and toward Multinational corporations who control those sensor networks.

For example the USG used to run every imagery satellite in existence, now there are a half dozen commercial imagery satellites and growing.

[1]https://www.thelightningpress.com/the-instruments-of-nationa...

teddyh• 7 years ago

The really interesting question here is, what happens when commercial and consumer information systems (eg Google, Facebook, Huawei, Tencent) are able to deploy collection sensors and do information processing at a much larger scale than any individual nation state?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A is what happens.

the-usual• 7 years ago

You get The Dutch East India Company.

Corporations capable of operating according to their own rules. At least within their sphere of expertise.

If they have the resources to operate beyond the reach of the law, they transcend the law to make their own new rules. They do whatever they want, scoped according to their capabiities, and they cover up anything that isn't on the level. They use what they have to their own advantage, as a natural perk of having he means to do so.

barry-cotter2• 7 years ago

The VOC and EIC were always run by civilians who were primarily after profit and obeyed the laws of the Dutch and English state. They were no more operating beyond the reach of law than ExxonMobil is. Just as the US does not respect the sovereignty of other, less powerful countries now the Netherlands and England did not respect weaker countries’ sovereignty then.

The companies are a distraction, the relative power differentials between countries aren’t.

mortb• 7 years ago

Isn't any big enough state or corporation with too little transparency a threat to individual freedom? Is China combing opaque big tech with repressive state? Is that scary? Is Amazon changing people's lives? etc

hulahoof2• 7 years ago

In your opinion is the call out of Australia/China a valid comparison to Ukraine/Russia?

AlexCoventry• 7 years ago

It's purely soft-power influence, so far. It's documented in detail here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Invasion_(book)

AndrewKemendo2• 7 years ago

Not entirely. China isn't imperialistic in the same fashion as Russia. That said there are parallels in terms of power dynamics within ASEAN certainly when compared with the Caucasus.

pjmorris• 7 years ago

"As the cost of conducting espionage operations—in money, time, and effort—has shrunk, spying has become less esoteric. These days it is an integral part of business, finance, sports, and family litigation over divorce and child custody. Indeed, modern life encourages people and institutions of all kinds to adopt the thinking and practices of the spy world."

My joke, for some years now, has been that the average teenager has better surveillance capabilities than the CIA did in the 1960's. It might be better than what they had in the 70's or 80's by now. It seems likely to me that Google, Facebook, and probably Amazon, have better data than intelligence agencies of the 90's could've ever hoped for.

paganel• 7 years ago

Google, Facebook, and probably Amazon, have better data than intelligence agencies of the 90's could've ever hoped for.

Putin was being made fun of back in 2012 or 2013 when he was saying that the Internet is actually a tool for the US Intelligence Community. Shortly after that some of Putin's cronies took direct control of VKontakte. As it so happens, Facebook was advised by a boutique investment bank called Allen & Co when it acquired Whatsapp for what was considered to be a huge sum ($19 billion) [1]. One of the managing directors of Allen & Co back then was none other than George Tenet, former Director of the CIA. [2]

I also believe that Skype's acquisition by MS (for what was also considered as a huge sum back then, $8 billion) was in part a covert operation to help the US Intelligence Community. Shortly after the acquisition MS got rid of Skype's p2p architecture and reverted to using one big centralized communications system, which by all intents and purposes made it easier for anyone so interested to control and check what was being discussed on Skype.

[1] https://www.fnlondon.com/articles/facebook-whatsapp-puts-all...

[2] https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/allen-co-the-invisibl...

seppin4• 7 years ago

Internet is actually a tool for the US Intelligence Community

The internet is a tool for every countries' intelligence community.

Skype's acquisition by MS was in part a covert operation to help the US Intelligence Community

Source?

m463• 7 years ago

It seems likely to me that Google, Facebook, and probably Amazon, have better data

advertising profile = dossier

chriselles• 7 years ago

Scud the Disposable Intelligence Officer would make for a legit revival of the Scud comic franchise.

The 2010 assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai by Mossad was a shocker to the general public when the kill team and support personnel were plastered on TV by UAE law enforcement immediately following via dozens of stitched together CCTV feeds.

That op burned a few dozen people from most future external operations.

All I know is that there will be thousands of former intelligence officers and shooters sweating biometric datamining for future overseas holiday travel on their own passports in allied countries, forget about semi/non-permissive country personnel travel.

pseingatl• 7 years ago

This is what happens when you indict foreign intelligence officers. You expose your own to criminal charges and Interpol Red Notices. It's just a question of time before US soldiers and sailors are included in the loop.

secfirstmd• 7 years ago

That's why I reckon suppliers of biometric hardware and software are likely to be some of the most valuable intelligence targets in the world. Every time I see another country with a 3M scanner etc I wonder...

3xblah• 7 years ago

"Only the very poor, the very young, and the very old don't carry some kind of mobile device these days."

Good on them.

baybal2• 7 years ago

Investigators can also combine these two tactics with a third: financial information. What is the student’s credit rating? What plastic cards does she carry? Does her purchasing history and behavior match her cover story? Every one of these questions is revealing if answered and devastating if not. There are, after all, very few people who travel abroad without a bank account or credit rating, with no social media history, and a prepaid burner phone—and those who do tend to have something to hide.

Heh, is it something that rare. I personally knew people never ever had even a landline in Russia, and I can't say about that being rare.

On other hand, Russian own spies are said to be intentionally recruited from small towns in Russian Far East

incompatible• 7 years ago

I hope so. I'm getting paranoid about visiting foreign countries, since I match too many supposed "highly suspicious" behaviours.

seppin4• 7 years ago

On other hand, Russian own spies are said to be intentionally recruited from small towns in Russian Far East

Matches the two men who carried out the Salisbury Attack.

coretx2• 7 years ago

Most spies are not aware of the fact that they are recruited as a spy.

konart• 7 years ago

Only one of them. Mishkin is from Arkhangelsk oblast, that's north-west

ilaksh2• 7 years ago

I do not think that we should operate our world as if it were a James Bond movie.

It shows a fundamental moral deficiency that effectively makes civilization into a myth. And regardless of morals, it's an inherently insecure paradigm.

zbentley• 7 years ago

Was there ever a time when this was not the case? What realities were different during that time? Could we change towards those realities today? Should we?

ilaksh2• 7 years ago

No, there was never a time. What has changed are things like the advancement of science and communications that make the world much smaller in a way.

eb3c90• 7 years ago

And regardless of morals, it's an inherently insecure paradigm.

As well as this I think it slows communication of important issues and undermines trust. We need to be better at these things globally so that we can tackle the important global problems we are facing with climate breakdown etc.

tempodox• 7 years ago

Indeed, China’s national security law expressly requires every individual and corporation, state-run or not, to aid the intelligence services.

Australia does the same now.

The Spycraft Revolution

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