There is a weighted core of truth within this report, which has been in existance for over thirty-years. The fact is that; useful to know information between family members has always been accessable via open media outlets, with the publishers kept very much in the dark. It was considered safer than electronic communication and the embedded codes and locations used are to this day impossible to crack and will, repeat will, remain so. For, it just so happens that the same method is used for horserace code both in the UK & USA. Which is why there is no shortage of personal black budget funding as & when required. It is no use analysing Google reports in this respect, for all is computer-proof, ask any serious professional operative within this sphere, and he or she will tell you, that they do not understand the question. Which is the key relevent fact.

Leslie crawford, Bingley, West-Yorkshire

April Fools!

andrew myers, leeds, UK

I can't tell if this is an early April Fool's Joke. It is dated March 31, 2008. If it is April Fools than that's cheating with the date. No fair. But it sounds too feasible to not be real. If it is real which I will now take the stance that it is, then I say, this is very powerful and interesting stuff. I love you Google.

jojo, los angeles, california

Two articles worth reading that show how worringly the CIA operate...

Seeking Iran Intelligence, U.S. Tries Google
Washington Post, December 11, 2006; Page A01

and

Open-Source Spying
The New York Times, December 3, 2006

Mohammed Choudhury, London, UK

Yeah right. The government and or it's people never violate the trust of the American people. That's why they trashed our Constitution I suppose?

I wonder what "list" I go on now for this comment. Yep I'm a wack I guess!

M.C. Hossfels, Missoula, Mt.

Anyway I stopped using Google a long time ago. Censorship, tracking, accumulate our data etc. There's better search engine on Internet and way more respectful of our privacy.

Bye Google. Bye survaillance society!

Chuck, Mtl, Canada

Why not? National Intelligence has bin taking-on Craig list
massage therapists since the 90's. HECK! Anybody can
be a spy! Just ask spitzer. Or me!

josephjsalas, Columbia, US/MO

From reading a lot of the responses to this story, I can clearly see how conspiracy nuts get started. I use intellipedia on a daily basis. It does not reside on google nor cia's servers. There are two major classified networks, the siprnet and jwics. Like the internet, these two networks are comprised of servers, web pages, etc. The only difference is that these are used to host classified information. Just as google search technology is superior on the internet, it also functions on the sipr and jwics to search for agency web sites and information. Intellipedia is just a collaboration of users that may have fragementary intel about a particular event or source. By posting that on intellipedia, just like you would on wikipedia, provides a research source that can be updated and modified on the fly. Nothing sinister about the deal, there is no connection between these systems and the internet. But this information can and does travel the internet, but is only availabe to thos with the proper encryption devices on both ends. Sorry for the book!

j, bmore, md

I can't believe that your just figuring that out. And who else are they spying for. Health insurance companies maybe? Department stores??

geri, romney, wv

i'm an analyst that uses this technology on JWICS...this is an old story, simply re-written and republished by the British media. It's just the software and most of you, your comments are whack! Intellipedia is just a tool that we all use for collaboration and no analyst wants to use any of our information gathering techniques to violate the 4th Amendment, E.O. 12333 or other oversight policies.

JJ, Lakeland, Florida

They are using Google's search engine technology, which is one of the industries best technologies. Large and small companies all over the world use Google's technology, and this is likely one of the few smart purchases our government has made in a long time. No outside entity will have any access or control - including Google.

Patrick Bergy, NPR, Florida,

There are a lot of people who either didn't read the article or simply don't know what the F they are talking about.

Google has a search algorithym. It is SOFTWARE!!! The NSA is buying SOFTWARE to run on their own network. It is not 'Google' accessing the CIA. It's like Bill Gates having access to top secrets because the government uses Windows NT to run its servers. It's just plain stupid.

There is no more likelihood of breaches or 'rogue agents' stealing info from other areas in the intel communities. This is mostly being used to better connect the dots via documents which are already at the level of classification that any individual agent already has. Better 'search' means better connection of various 'dots' and that is a plus. A huge, screaming, glowing plus. Anybody who can punch in a name to search across a database as opposed to having to actually READ every report in an entire sector for even a single agency will praise God for this new tool - google aside.

bpjam, las vegas, usa

There are checks and balances. There could be a "rogue" agent that steals information, but he would already have access to that information in way or another. The intellipedia would be compartmentalized as well, as not to give up everything in one shot.

Johnny, Washington, DC, USA

Locks on houses keep the honest people out. Thieves can break into them no matter what.

Wes, Johnson City, TX

Hey Mark B.. you make some valid points, but don't be so quick to dismiss legitimate concerns. The reality just might be different that your understanding. This all comes amid a flurry of moves by the government to centralize power and authority. One need only look at what is happening with the idea of further empowering the Federal Reserve to "stabilize" the financial markets through oversight and regulation which is clearly outside of their (illegal) charter. The Fed isn't even a sanctioned governmental body and has no accountability to a democratic system! Let's not be so fast to allow more authority and control over a government that can't even get basic intel on our so called "enemies" without having to eat crow time after time.

Eraser, Chicago, IL

People calm down. The CIA is using the Google Search Applicances. They only crawl content that is inside the CIA network. None if this content is available outside the CIA and they aren't gettting any data from public internet searches using Google. Even Google will not have access to the information stored on these servers. They are totally cut off from the outside world.

Joe, Washington, DC

Anyone that is working that closely with the chinese should not have access to national intelligence information. I stopped using google when they cut that deal with China.

Robert , Brentwood, TN

Re: the CIA, NSA using google as platform for intelligence.
This is a bad, stupid, move by the west's Intelligence community. Any rational look at the reality that google has already been subverted, by agreements with the PRC to allow only what they wish for citizen/consumers on the mainland to access.
This lead's one to the fact that google had given PRC technicians access to certain segments of code that would allow one, with a minimum of common sense, to know the PRC will be watching the watchers diet, and feed the watchers with misinformation at minimum.
S/F John Skuce, Mt Olive NC USA,

John R Skuce Jr, Mt Olive North Carolina, USA

Hey conspiracy theorists, calm down! Don't overestinmate your own importance. No one cares if you are surfing porn or buying Dungeons and Dragons figures online. The government, Intelligence Community and Department of Defense kinda have bigger things to worry about. It's about time something like this was done. And as far as one bad apple in the bunch selling out to the bad guys, that would happen anyway. Anyone with appropriate security clearances would already be able to access sensitive information anyway, regardless of how the data is stored, so this makes little difference in that reagrd. And again, calm down. Google is not spying on civilians and providing info to big broither. They are providing a commerically based service to the government just like countless other private entities have done forever. This is no different and it is needed. So, anyone who had a hand in this and expends effort to keep us safe, thank you. :)

Mark Bishop, Washington, DC,

huh? what? use google to help guard, transmit and add to intelligence information? who thinks up these things? on a network where phishing and data theft are plentiful, to add secrets strikes me as lacking common sense and being foolish. you cant even transact with your bank without feeling anxious. next thing you know, no spy satellites will be required as the intelligence agencies will just use google earth. maybe all this nonsense will save the tax payer money.....but i doubt it

Marcelo, Montevideo, Uruguay

I'm assuming that Google is sharing the information with their Chinese clients, as well .... probably part of the same contract that requires them to report Chinese citizens to their government.

Jim Bacon, Louisville, Colorado

google cant give out info about personal useage but they can give [wink wink] or have the government buy their servers that has all the tools installed to get the info without courts and government involvement. there is alot more involve then the story you are reading.

bob, lewisville, tx

Is it just me or does anyone else think that putting all the "data" we have on spies/terrorists into a Google server sound insane? If just one agent in our entire system is corrupt, they wouldn't even need to hack the system! Good Lord people!

Brad, Las Vegas, NV

walmart will not sell anything not made in america, while sam walton is alive, and google will do no evil, until shareholders require profits

bob, opelika, alabama usa

Case and point why government is not anywhere near as effective or efficient as a private market. The government can, and should, borrow from those ideas however.

Jared, Tracy, California

It's only a matter of time before the CIA and the NSA will want to have access to everything that you have searched for in Google.

They will also want a list of people who have read an article or visited a site. As part of Google's marketing, email that passes through your account is scanned to build a profile that can be used for more effective advertisements.

Big Brother Loves You.

Lamarr, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Intellipedia is a couple years old, is it not?

Kate, Arlington, Virginia

The power of the free market to solve problems is always a much better alternative, than the Government throwing money at it.

Dan, St. Louis, Mo., USA

So let's see, we spend billions of tax-payer dollars developing Homeland Security "solutions" and we still don't have the inter-agency communications framework necessary to share vital information affecting national and global security, but...
Two kids in a garage who start with nothing and in a short time create a framework that earns them billions of dollars (maybe everyday) and actually generate revenue (and tax dollars - we hope) just happen to have exactly what is needed.

Ron Benvenisti, Lakewood,

Don't be too hard on bureaucratic thinkers. It is they...who have enlisted the aid of private enterprise thinkers, have they not? Seems like a good idea to me.

Jimbo, Chicago, IL.

Always knew Google was a shadow arm of the CIA

Horatio, Chicago,

Once again private enterprise thinkers prove superior to government bureaucratic thinkers.

Joe in Florida

Joe Miller, Jacksonville, FL (USA)