Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Monday, December 10, 2007

More on open source intelligence

Richard A. Best, Jr. and Alfred Cumming, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service, December 5, 2007.  (Thanks to ResourceShelf.)  Excerpt:

Open source information (OSINT) is derived from newspapers, journals, radio and television, and the Internet. Intelligence analysts have long used such information to supplement classified data, but systematically collecting open source information has not been a priority of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). In recent years, given changes in the international environment, there have been calls, from Congress and the 9/11 Commission among others, for a more intense and focused investment in open source collection and analysis. However, some still emphasize that the primary business of intelligence continues to be obtaining and analyzing secrets.

A consensus now exists that OSINT must be systematically collected and should constitute an essential component of analytical products.  This has been recognized by various commissions and in statutes. Responding to legislative direction, the Intelligence Community has established the position of Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Open Source and created the National Open Source Center....