Open Source Information - a True Collection Discipline
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Open Source Information - A True Collection Discipline Kimberly Saunders G1332 Thesis Master of Arts (War Studies) Royal Military College of Canada Defended: 20 April2000 This thesis may be used within the Depriment of Nalional Defence but copyright for open publication remains rhe property of the author. National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 OttawaON K1AON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Librq of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de rnicrofÏche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT "Open Source Information - A True Collection Discipline" examines the Arnerican and Canadian use of unclassified. publicly available information- This study includes a detailed review of how open source information is defined. what it is and where it is to be found. This is followed by concrete examples demonstrating the vaiue of open source information and its use by intelligence services. Following a bnef description of what intelligence is and the various intelligence products of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. this study reviews the development of the use of open source information in the United States and Canada. Beginning with the American Coordinator of Information, created before the United States entered the Second World War. the study examines the use of open source information by the Office of Strategic Services. and various current initiatives within the Arnerican intelligence cornmunity. Several government and private sector reports are reviewed, indicating how open source information was being used - or not being used - and the various recommendations they presented. The Cornmunity Open Source Prograrn initiative and the Foreign Broadcast Information Service are explained. The study then tums its attention to Canada, commencing with the 1981 report by the MacDonald Commission. A comprehensive study of reports noting the use of open source information by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service follows, including one detailed private sector study. The comments and recornmendations of the Security Intelligence Review Cornmittee are documented, as are comments made in subsequent reports by the Parliament of Canada. Interviews with the Director and Deputy Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service provide information on the current use of open source information. as do several public speeches by various officiais in the Service. The study concludes with two recommendations: that a true open source information collection discipIine be created. and that open source working groups be fully integrated into both the analytical and operational branches of intelligence services. Footnotes indicate references to the various texts from which comments were taken. A bibliography is appended. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWARD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iNTRODUCTION Open Source Use - History and Context Review of Contemporary Literature Parameters of This Study Endnotes CHAPTER 1 - OPEN SOURCE INFORMATION Open Source Information Explained Open Source Ternis Open Source Definitions Open Source - Information and Intelligence Collection Anal y sis Conclusion Open Source Information Resources Open Source Production Government Foreign Broadcast Information Service - FBIS Public and Private Companies Universities Think-Tanks Associations and Organizations Media Grey literature Open Source Distribution Traditional Internet Commercial Online Information Providers Experts / Specialists Conclusion Percentage of Open Source Information Used The Value of Open Source Information Ensure Efficient Use of Finances and Resources Corroborate and Confirm or Refute and Deny Information Supplement and Enhance Existing Information Provide New Information Avoid Bias and Mirror-imaging Provide Context Protect Classified Sources and Operational Methodology Protect Persona1 Freedoms, Reduce Intrusiveness Lower Classification and Widen Distribution The Disbelievers Conclusion Endnotes CHAPTER 2 - INTELLIGENCE PRODUCTION Intelligence - What It 1s Intelligence - Definitions Intelligence Cycle Information Requirement Collection Collection Disciplines Analysis Dissemination CSIS Intelligence Products Conclusion Endnotes CHAPTER 3 - UNITED STATES & OPEN SOURCE INFORMATION Office of the Coordinator of Information Office of Strategic Services - Research and Analysis Branch Cold War Post Cold War Preparing for the 2 1st Century In Frorn the Cold The Future of US Intelligence Community Open Source Program Current Open Source Initiatives Central Intelligence Agency - Directorate of Intelligence CIA - Annual Report 1 998 JIC Trans and USPACOM Foreign Broadcast Information System - FBIS Conclusion Endnotes CHAPTER 4 - CANADA & OPEN SOURCE INFORMATION CSIS - Creation and Mandate The McDonald Commission Centre for Conflict Studies Security Intelligence Review Cornmittee SIRC Annual Report - 1984-85 SIRC Annual Report - 1985-86 SIRC Annual Report - 1986-87 SIRC Annual Report - 1987-88 SIRC Annual Report - 1988-89 SIRC Annuai Report - 1989-90 SIRC Annuai Reports - 1990 to 1998 SIRC Annuai Report - 1998-99 SIRC - General Cornments Reports and Studies PeopIe and Process in Transition - 1987 In Flux: But Not in Crisis - 1990 Auditor General of Canada - Chapter 27 - 1996 Kelly Commission - 1999 CSIS - Public Reports CSIS - Current Use Conclusion Endnotes CHAPTER 5 - FINDINGS. RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION Findings Recornmendations Open Source Information - A Tme Collection Discipline Open Source Information - Integrated Tearning Conclusion Endnotes BIBLIOGRAPHY GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS FOREWARD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The impetus for this study was the discovery that there was no comprehensive overview of open source information. Moreover. there was very littIe discussion in Canada on the use of open source information by the Canadian intelligence community. In addition. this study was written to dispel the half-truths. myths and misunderstandings about open source information that I came across in my research. This study was thus undertaken to fil1 this knowledge gap. and to gather al1 availabIe information on open source information into one reference book. It is hoped that this document wiIl increase the recognition of the value of open source information. and promote the creation of a recognized open source collection discipline that is a vital and integral component of every inteIligence service. This study was written for those who are studying and working in the intelligence field. and especially for the many professional collectors of open source information. The support and patience of many colleagues and friends has made this study possible. In particular, 1 would like to thank M. J. Dunn for her advice and recommendations, and for being as enthusiastic as 1 was about each new development and discovery. Her never- ending willingness to listen to my ideas provided a much appreciated sounding board. 1 would also like to thank my supervisor for this study, Dr. G. Davidson Smith. Without his initial support of this thesis proposal, and his w-illingness to work with me in exploring this topic. this study might never have taken place. Dr. Smith's guidance and his continued attention to detail have ensured the accuracy of this study. The information in this study is entirely from unclassified. open sources. Kimberly Saunders Ottawa, Aprïl2000 INTRODUCTION The role of an intelligence service is to produce intelligence. This intelligence presents decision makers in govemment with accurate. timely and reliable information about activities which may constitute a threat to national security. The use by intelligence services of publicly available, unclassified information - known as open source Nlformarion - is an ongoing subject of debate. Questions are posed as to the extent that open source information is used. and by whom it should be colIected. While various authors quote the percentage of open source information that is included in the intelligence product. this ignores the real issue of the value of open source information to the intelligence product. While open source information is mentioned with growing frequency in relation to intelligence services, the collection of open source information is often done in a haphazard manner by those who are not trained in open source collection. Moreover. the open source units that do exist appear to be segregated from the operational side of intelligence work. Open Source Use - Wistory and Context The use of open source information in the intelligence process is not new. Travellers. businessmen and emissaries have for centuries brought information back to their rulers, information garnered €rom local customs and attitudes, local news and general conversation. Academics