The "Grey" Intersection of Open Source information and Intelligence.

The U.S. Government intelligence community (IC) is relying less on "classified" information as a sole source and is moving toward an "all source" product that includes open source information. Gradually, this change will result in a more comprehensive, virtual IC that will enhance or replace the smaller, classified collections of individual government bureaucracies. This has created an emerging paradigm involving technology, outsourcing, and relationships both inside and outside of the IC that has resulted in "grey intersections" of open source information and intelligence. This paper will define "open source information" and look at specific government actions that have boosted support of open source information intelligence (OSINT), as well as the ongoing struggles within the IC to accept the new paradigm. The intelligence cycle as it applies to open source is described, and examples of the use of open source information are given in the context of their reliability and classification. The paper also discusses the future of open source and intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]