The growing influence of social news sites

The CIA is to open a communications tool for its
staff, modelled on social networking sites such as Facebook and
MySpace, the Financial Times reports.

The project, known as A-Space, aims to improve the way that intelligence agents communicate, it said.

Officials believe that the online workplace will allow staff to better analyse information together.

However to ease fears of undercover workers having their cover blown, participation will be voluntary.

Reticent users

A-Space, due to launch in December, will feature
web-based email and software recommending issues of interest to the
user said Mike Wertheimer, a senior official at the Department for
National Intelligence (DNI).

We are willing to experiment in ways that we have never experimented before Mike Wertheimer Department of National Intelligence

He told the FT that the new infrastructures would help
break down some of the physical communications problems in the
intelligence community.

"I am unable to send email, and even make secure phone
calls, to a good portion of the community from my desktop because of
firewalls," he said.

He added that while it was understandable that some
operatives were reticent about sharing information which could pose a
risk, the 9/11 attacks had showed that not pooling data could also cost
lives.

"We are willing to experiment in ways that we have never experimented before," he said.

Mr Wertheimer added that while it had looked for
collaboration from overseas, foreign intelligence agencies had been
"the folks most virulently against" sharing information through an
"intelligence library".

The DNI already operates a collaborative online encyclopaedia - or wiki - for members of the US intelligence community.

And earlier this year the CIA used Facebook to advertise job opportunities within the organisation.

mtippett, I like this story. It's good stuff.