Open Source Spy Looks for Upgrade

"Open source" intelligence – material taken from newspapers, Internet postings, and TV shows – is starting to play a major role in the nation's spy agencies. But it's still got a ton of problems, says one contractor working in the "OSINT" field. He offers his thoughts on how Open Source can be upgraded:

One of the problems with Open Source research is that most of it is farmed out to contractor [companies], who are just using it as unclassified work for people who are in the process of getting their clearance. This is one of the reasons contractors will NEVER contribute to the field of Open Source. Their analysts pick up some skills but then are ripped out of there to serve on a higher-paying contract, once they get cleared. This brain drain is a huge problem.

Another problem with Open Source research is that the Open Source Center does not have access to sensitive data. This is a problem, because if I have three "Joseph Franks", the OSC or some Open Source contractor has no choice but to spend... hours collecting information on...each Joseph Frank.

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OSINFO - Open Sources Information