Lost in Space
I'll open this but it had better get broader than Israel.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Figure of Hourai
Well, Sergei Skripal is out of critical condition. Does that fit?
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And the Russians want to meet with them. For what I am sure are totally benign reasons.
....If that is ever allowed (I assume his daughter is getting political asylum if she doesn't already have it), I hope its in the presence of armed guards.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
How about Russian attempts to manipulate social media, on topic?
Oh, bother.
You know one minor thing about modern espionage that bothers me?
How utterly boring it is in some ways.
Where's the laser pens? The gadgets? The martinis?
Instead, we've got shit like trolls phishing for passwords and bots spreading propaganda on Facebook and Reddit.
But maybe that's the point. Because it's so low-key and boring, we don't pick up on it. We don't pay attention to it until after the damage is done.
edited 6th Apr '18 6:55:46 AM by M84
Disgusted, but not surprised
I’m not sure I’d count social media manipulation as espionage. That would probably fall under political warfare or active measures, since it’s sabotage rather than espionage.
On the espionage front, it’s a couple days old but it sounds like someone has been running stingrays in DC, and it wasn’t us. [1]
I wouldn’t be surprised if the various counterintelligence outfits were kicking into overdrive right about now.
Lost in Space
This is a gentle reminder to define terminology even if you expect most participants in a topic to know it already.
A "stingray" is a device that mimics a cell phone tower in order to collect data from nearby phones.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Ok, but how about Chinese attempts to use industrial espionage to obtain US military technology?
The Chinese are notorious for industrial and academic espionage virtually everywhere.
edited 6th Apr '18 10:58:30 AM by TerminusEst
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
The Chinese are particularly fond of open-source intelligence. Basically, rather than outright spying they'll send "engineers" or "students" (air quotes for sarcastic emphasis) and have them snap up technical manuals and science journals and everything else they can get their hands on. Or Chinese nationals will have a sudden interest in air shows and military expos. It's a difficult strategy to counter and it's done well for them as a compliment to more conventional spying.
edited 6th Apr '18 12:02:26 PM by archonspeaks
They should have sent a poet.
Then there are those who they use as unsuspecting spies.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Ive heard that they dont hesitate to use pld fashioned theft when it suits them.
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
On the Sting Rays, I wouldn't count out more clandestine domestic espionage especially with the government we have in place now. The US government is definitely not above spying on its own people and hiding it or trying to hide it.
edited 6th Apr '18 3:48:33 PM by TuefelHundenIV
Who watches the watchmen?
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
They aren't even subtle about it, what with wanting to make ICE an official member of the intelligence community. And the spy programs were there even under Obama and Bush 43.
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
True but that doesn't stop them from putting up anonymous spy equipment that is a lot easier to hide whose it is. All they have to do is not tell the other agencies. That and we seem to be increasingly using private entities rather than state entities in those same duties. Feeling a bit like the gilded age where groups like the Pinkertons did domestic spying among their other activities.
Who watches the watchmen?
I doubt they were federal agencies, not worth the candle. Local police depts and/or corporate parties, on the other hand.
edited 7th Apr '18 1:38:32 PM by DeMarquis
https://ph.yahoo.com/news/britain-aims-resettle-poisoned-russian-ex-spy-u-223635203.html
News is up that Washington is willing to help Skirpal and his daughter relocate to American soil if he's willing to accept it.
...but only if the give up all their social media handles.
And be under witsec anyway. That's all your old connections gone.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
A bit related.
BBC reported that the Russian Embassy wanted to lend a helping hand to Yulia Skirpal after she was allowed to leave the hospital. She refused.
Well, we know she isn't suicidal.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Or stupid.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180413_10/
The OPCW released a report to confirm that a chemical weapon was used on the Skirpals. Although Russia wants to access the report even though OPCW investigators have made them currently classified.
Sapo announced the arrest of a Tibetan exile paid by the MSS to spy and keep tabs on other exiles in Sweden and in parts of Europe. BBC just broke the news.
According to them, the person got paid when he goes to Warsaw.
Would like to get a discussion ongoing about espionage and anything that can affect the current world affairs...
For starters, I have (still do when possible) some interest in Mossad/Shin Bet/Israeli Police's use of informant within the Palestinian populace to root out militants and help Israeli commando identify HVTs. Although their recruitment comes at a heavy price.
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/01/28/267836867/a-palestinian-explains-why-he-worked-as-an-israeli-informant
- This article is a good read since it talks about one Palestinian member of Fatah who abandoned it after its members accuse him of being an Israeli mole.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-palestinian-informant-for-israel-says-police-abandoned-him-1.5462490
- This one mentions an arrest made by Palestinian police on a man who's been working with Israeli police for some time and was found to have a pistol for protection.