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(S//SI) NSA Intelink Blog Boosts Info-Sharing
FROM:
Chief, Transnational Organized Crime (S2F21)
Run Date: 06/05/2006
(S//SI) SIGINTers and Intelligence Community peers compare notes, via a blog, on a Russian
crime boss.
(U//FOUO) "Blogs" have become an increasingly powerful way that information, opinions, and
word of mouth spreads over the World Wide Web. Blogs are formed by people with a strong
opinion and by people who have an interest in a subject and are looking for discussion and a
forum to further that interest. Just what is a blog? A blog, or web log, is a web-based publication
with articles, message boards, discussion threads, web links, and other content tools, which
focus on a particular subject matter. They can range in scale from a personal diary to
sophisticated web-based media outlets run by political campaigns, news services, or
corporations.
(U//FOUO) Are blogs the way of the future for harnessing the collective power of the
Intelligence Community (IC)? There are pilots in the works to explore ways to leverage this new
technique to provide better intelligence products and services. Last year, a CIA employee wrote
a paper (link) that won the "Galileo Award" for innovation in the Intelligence Community that
looks at the potential for blogs and wikis as a means to collaborate and share insight and
analysis. Our very own SID leadership has encouraged us to consider the use of blogs as a
means of collaboration and information sharing. (See related article .)
(U//FOUO) Is it possible to harness the power of this technology to share information, and
ensure that it does not morph into a no-holds-barred, rant-filled forum? Based on a recent
experimental initiative from analysts in the International Crime and Narcotics (ICN) Product Line,
the answer appears to be "yes."
(S//SI) To test the utility of this technology for collaboration, ICN has created an Intelink blog on
Russian organized crime . This blog is focused on the U.S. government's top Russian organized
crime target, Semyon Mogilevich.
, a senior ICN analyst and expert on
Russian Organized crime, manages the content of the blog, which includes links to Mogilevichrelated reporting from CIA, FBI and State. There's also a Working Aids/Reference Materials
section of the blog which includes an organized crime website, a video, Power Point
presentation, charts, and significant documents useful to all IC analysts and customers following
the Mogilevich target.
(U//FOUO) Semyon Mogilevich
(S//SI) An NSA report currently on the blog documents all known bank accounts associated with
Mogilevich. ICN is working with S1 Reporting Policy and Guidance to create a "dynamic report"
permitting updates to that report directly on the blog in place of issuing new reporting each time
additional accounts numbers are detected.* All of these features improve information sharing
regarding this major Russian organized crime target.
(S//SI) So far, over 20 analysts from across the intelligence community have signed up for this
blog. At this stage, the blog is more of a reference tool and "one stop shopping" for information
on this notorious crime figure, than a collaborative forum, but there have been some signs that
analysts are willing to use the blog as they become more comfortable operating in this
environment.
(U//FOUO) If you are interested in establishing a similar space on Intelink for you IC community
of interest, it is a relatively easy process. Please see the Intelink Blogs User Guide webpage for
more information, or contact
nsa) o
@nsa).
*Note:
(U//FOUO) If you have questions regarding blog-related reporting policy, contact
(
@nsa). Also, for further information on information-sharing policies, see
USSID CR1611(P) "(U) SIGINT Dissemination for Analytic Collaboration " and the Collaboration
Record Procedures, accessible via the A&P Information Sharing webpage . We are still learning
from the use of this technology; NSA policy specifically addressing the use of wikis and blogs is
under development.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108