Aw shucks, we all love mysteries don 't we... what you see is what it is - or what it used to be for all those disguises, secret identities and work that was done undercover.
As Tim Cushing reported yesterday, "The spies are back to complaining that the always-on digital world and the omnipresence of surveillance devices (both public and private) is making it difficult to do spy stuff
Always-on surveillance is leading to always-on spycraft.
Another alternative -- one already in use -- is the use of teams to perform covert work, with one handling the actual legwork while the rest of the team steers the operative clear of surveillance cameras in the area. . ."
Disrupting Spycraft: Always-On Surveillance Is Prompting Massive Changes In Covert Operations
from the move-fast-and-break-your-own-stuff dept
". . .Something approaching schadenfreude comes from reading reports like these, where the early adopters and pioneers of surveillance tech are now realizing there's too much surveillance tech standing between them and their work.
Pervasive surveillance has made citizens around the world aware lives can no longer be lived largely unobserved.
A wealth of personal data only clicks away makes anonymity almost impossible."
Let's get into it:
"Last January, sources were telling Yahoo that it's no longer enough to carry around a few fake documents to get past customs and engage in spycraft -- not when the cover identities are bereft of the digital detritus generated by simply existing in a connected world. And it's difficult to move about unobserved when every street light, business, and front porch has a camera attached to it, monitoring activity 24/7/365.
The report also noted that online access to a large variety of information also made it more difficult to engage in covert activities.
> Russian counterintelligence agents were apparently able to sniff out CIA agents working in US embassies by looking for things like prior postings in certain countries, pay bumps for hazardous work, or mismatches in salary for employees with similar titles.
> Some of this investigative work could be achieved by utilizing open source information gleaned from government sites and professional-oriented platforms like LinkedIn. Data from the massive Office of Personnel Management hack likely filled in the rest of the details.
It isn't all losses, though.
The same surveillance apparati that made it difficult for covert operatives to maintain cover also made it easier for them to track their targets. But the overall tone of the report was that undercover work needed to undergo an extensive overhaul or it would be rendered almost entirely useless. . ."
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READ MORE:
Disrupting Spycraft: Always-On Surveillance Is Prompting Massive Changes In Covert Operations
There Are Spying Eyes Everywhere—and Now They Share a Brain
Security cameras. License plate readers. Smartphone trackers. Drones. We’re being watched 24/7. What happens when all those data streams fuse into one?
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