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CIA and technology in real life

posted 14 years ago by freshprinceofbel-air
6 replies | jump to latest

Found this article, see below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2965620.stm

Now I know API is not the CIA, however they probably come close enough.
As some have slated the show's portrayal of the API and how it operates it is not far fetched to believe that API would be under same constraints as the CIA when it comes to using technology.
This is evident in offices where everyone has only one pc monitor or the clunky library search engine OR the super pc that Hal character uses.
And most of all by the fact that the team's daily tasks consist of 'just' studying folders... which may make it less appealing to watch than say War Games heh But it's realistic and that's all that matters in this case. It's just another example of great writing overall!

[–] Speed-the-plow 14 years ago

Thanks for the article...interesting. The only thing is we know so little about the CIA that it's hard to know what to believe.

They must have access to state of the art technology if they really need it, however, I can totally understand why they would be leery of computer technology since we know so little about it and where its headed.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 14 years ago

I remember that a year or two ago someone studied which ISPs were making wikipedia edits and they discovered that a lot of them were numbers registered to the CIA. But they weren't trying to sanitize things like MK-Ultra or the Bay of Pigs. Instead it was largely edits to articles about comic books or science fiction shows. Turns out all these nerds who work as analysts at the CIA were using company machines to make edits to their favorite wikipedia articles.

"Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything."

[–] defcon79 14 years ago

If the CIA is indeed 5 years behind in their use of technology, which I don't believe for an instant, its because it takes that long for anything to get done in govt. e.g. say you want to upgrade computers. It would take tons of paperwork and a million contracts before anything got accomplished.

But you better believe the CIA (and NSA) are years ahead of civilians when it comes to data mining, networking information and a comprehensive database that links everything. Not all agents would have that level of access due to compartmentalization, but its there.

[–] bcarota 14 years ago

5 years behind of where they want to be, not 5 years behind the common man.

[–] meldrone 14 years ago

You should be able to recognize such articles as self-evident disinformation.

[–] TheUmma 14 years ago

The public is usually 100 years behind of where technology actually is. There are three levels of knowledge pertaining to technology. The surface level, where the public reside. The Academic Level, and then there is the Apex Level which is only available to a select few families whom have held on to wealth and POWER longer than anyone else. The technology is not to be shared with the profane, the public, anymore than money is to be shared with those who really need it. The CIA is only permitted access to the Academic level...there are levels above the CIA. This has been revealed tongue and cheek on shows like FRINGE...