CIA Agents Not Feeling So Lucky: Internet Reveals Cover Stories

from the whoops dept

Mon, Mar 13th 2006 2:49am — Mike Masnick

In the information age, it appears, coming up with a decent cover story while being a CIA agent is increasingly difficult. In fact, some enterprising reporters used some free and fee-based internet services to uncover all sorts of information about CIA agents and CIA-owned locations. The article is a bit vague in how they worked all this out -- but you have to imagine that's on purpose. However, the basic conclusion is that the CIA needs to recognize that doing a bit of sleuthing online gives a lot of people a lot more to work with than they had in the past -- and cover stories can be much more easily checked out. The fact that they're just now realizing this is a bit worrisome.

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13 Comments

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Wolfger, 13 Mar 2006 @ 5:01am

How the Central Intelligence Agency did not think about how identities could be revealed and covers blown by using a tool most people access regularly is extremely worrisome. Like, I'm worried our tax dollars are going to waste. Evidently, we should be paying reporters to locate Osama bin Laden.
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Andrew Strasser, 13 Mar 2006 @ 5:18am

T'would make the most sense Wolfger.
I mean seriously he may have ood ratings, but with the satellite technology at our disposal in this day and age and the massive computer networks that can be used to focus these things and search for heat sgnatures that match certain heat signatures. Nah only people who are highly skilled professionals that never let any info out as they aren't allowed to even work in the U.S. if they work for the C.I.A. How does the info ever get back here then? The C.I.A. has it's purpose. and anyone can be turned over.

The question would be what did they do that caused someone to feel malicious enough to let that happen. If you're in the C. I. A. you have a security clearance. You have access to intel that others do not. The media would attack for that purpose and that purpose only. If they felt something was being covered up. Which with this administration be sure to know that they know there are cover-ups.

Especially the media who went an entire year not mentioning the fact the person who is supposed to uphold our constitution decided to throw the fourth ammendment out the window without asking the people first who he has to ask. The media is worldwide. You cannot expect them to leave the United States alone if the rest of the world is placed under scrutiny.

The other side to that is what does our Govt. do in this aspect as a cover-up and have you ever even thought of which dept. is in charge of this affair. If so why would they be covering things up that should be open knowledge and working on covering the things up that should not be public knowledge instead.

Science Box
Epilepsy Foundation
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- Chaoslave, 13 Mar 2006 @ 8:15am
  
  Re: T'would make the most sense Wolfger.
  I have just read your ramble and I don't want to unnecessarily criticise it but do you think you could rewrite it so that it makes sense and I can understand the point you're trying to make?
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Andrew Strasser, 13 Mar 2006 @ 5:24am

Then again listing as a media rep. for the people.
Oh wait that might be a Syn according to number 6 I believe.
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Andrew Strasser, 13 Mar 2006 @ 6:09am

Wait I get it.
He thought he was your boss. Good Job Boss!
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David, 13 Mar 2006 @ 8:32am

Online Stalking
The fact is, you can take a cover story, a name, an email, etc. and look it up online. You can take a person's name and birthday and pull everything about them from some American based websites for $39. I won't publish the URL because I think it is a terrible statement about how bad the U.S. government is doing these days. Andrew's post is just incorrect (and hard to understand) where he says any blown cover is because an insider wanted it to be blown. If you think the CIA has an airtight methodology for creating covers in the modern computer age, you've been watching too many movies. Government beaurocracies always lag behind technology because of the red tape it takes to implement changes. But the problem in America is the ruling party (Republicans) are slimebags and usually don't give a damn about privacy, or spam, or anything else important unless they are filling their wallets with a poor person's food money or a third world countries babyfood money. And I'm an American saying that.
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- Jim Quinn, 13 Mar 2006 @ 1:52pm
  
  Re: Online Stalking
  OK, so the Dems know nothing about the baby food stealing,or spam or anything else,what about the Serbs and Bosnians and Dafur and somalia the Dems got us in just as much Sh^t as the rep.s dont try to justify the inept leaders in Washington by laying it on one party,all three of them are full of sh*t
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Big Dogs, 13 Mar 2006 @ 9:03am

hey nice look
didn't realize you changed the look.. I like it!
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Jack, 13 Mar 2006 @ 11:23am

If bio information can be obtained online, then false bio information can be inserted and then used as a cover.
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TriZz, 13 Mar 2006 @ 11:48am

Yeahhhh...
You can look up anything online these days...

...I, recently, had a court date for a trespassing charge but I forgot what date I had to go to court. So I went to some site, typed in my name, city and state - and VOILA!! "Trespassing - pending judgement on March 9, 2006."

Thank God I didn't miss my court date.
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George M., 14 Mar 2006 @ 3:40pm

>>Jim Quinn
Your ignorance amuses me. I love reading Techdirt comments. Always good for a small chuckle :-)
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me, 21 Mar 2006 @ 3:46am

comment of webby
i think that this is a bit strange but you obviously have spent some times in it so good good
please email me what you think of my comment!!!!
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nazpi@mail.com, 16 Oct 2006 @ 3:39pm

hfpdvacux yopdr
hnapyfvjg orwenq hybefm eslfqkim ztsndk gpezyrf tmzrqaojw
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