Burton, who has since left the D.I.A., is not alone in his concern. Indeed, throughout the intelligence community, spies are beginning to wonder why their technology has fallen so far behind — and talk among themselves about how to catch up. Some of the country’s most senior intelligence thinkers have joined the discussion, and surprisingly, many of them believe the answer may lie in the interactive tools the world’s teenagers are using to pass around YouTube videos and bicker online about their favorite bands. Billions of dollars’ worth of ultrasecret data networks couldn’t help spies piece together the clues to the worst terrorist plot ever. So perhaps, they argue, it’ s time to try something radically different. Could blogs and wikis prevent the next 9/11?

oh those teenagers!
- tom moody 12-03-2006 9:45 pm

I didn't read the whole thing, but read a bit to get the flavor. The technology may be part of the issue, but the fundamental problem is comparmentalization. "Need to know" and "compatmentalized clearance" are fundamental security concepts in that community. It goes to great lengths at time. For example, an employee defense contractor might have pretty high degree of clearance in the CIA, but if they want to work on an NSA project, the whole background check process has to be done over again, because the NSA doesn't trust the CIA. The walls are so deeply ingrained in the mindset, I don't know how much success they'll have even if they want to knock them down.
- mark 12-05-2006 2:19 am