Reports recently surfaced of FBI personnel involving themselves with a prominent social media company to control the spread of “misinformation” and the squelching of “disinformation.” Catching and suppressing or eliminating speech spread on social media deemed false or inaccurate is an insurmountable goal, and one fraught with problems, for example, limited resources. But the largerContinue reading “Strengthening Your Ability To Identify Misinformation And Disinformation”
Category Archives: Preparation
Strong, Neutral Sources: The Foundation of A Defensible Analysis
In 2023, an FBI intelligence product intended for internal use only was leaked to the public. The piece received criticism from some outlets for its content, but also for its sources. The problem with its sources came down to two issues: the product used popular magazines as a primary means of support for its premises;Continue reading “Strong, Neutral Sources: The Foundation of A Defensible Analysis”
Timeline: Adding Perspective And Clarity, The Route 91 Harvest Shooter
When supporting a complex investigation through intelligence analysis one way to organize your data is through a timeline. When incidents leading up to an event are sorted chronologically they can sometimes put precipitating incidents into perspective, which may reveal clues that are less apparent than when you’re reading case files alone. Timelines are also helpfulContinue reading “Timeline: Adding Perspective And Clarity, The Route 91 Harvest Shooter”
How To Create A Defensible Data Set For Intelligence Production
Compiling a data set to support an intelligence product seems like a straightforward process: define attributes, select entities, and add them to a database for later sorting and analysis. In reality, the process can be challenging to get right. One of the first obstacles is finding data. There are three choices: assemble your own dataContinue reading “How To Create A Defensible Data Set For Intelligence Production”
Data Sources and Focus Of Intelligence Analysts
Data sources for intelligence analysts may come from within their home agencies, compiled in support of their agency’s mission, or else from external sources, such as from data sets compiled by government and private entities. There is a function in analysis for projecting uncertain futures, however, the role of the intelligence analyst is most oftenContinue reading “Data Sources and Focus Of Intelligence Analysts”