Open Source Intelligence

CBS News | Secret Information In Plain Sight | January 10, 2006 23:03:59:

In an agency of spies, the notion that intelligence doesn't have to be stolen to be valuable takes some getting used to.

'One of the challenges that I have is to change the culture to value open sources more,' Jardines says.

Jardines acknowledges that the traditional attitude throughout the agency is that if information was not stolen, it cannot be valuable.

'That's very much the old attitude,' he says.

Intelligence is still a job of connecting the dots, but more and more of those dots are hiding in plain sight.

And most of this type of intelligence gathering is legal, though something tells me these guys don't need to "register" for a look at what's available. Jeez! The porn collection alone must be staggering!