It was bound to happen — and realistically, it probably has been happening, just now we’re getting news stories about it — US intelligence agencies are starting to keep an eye out on weblogs.

Some blogs are whimsical and deal with “soft” subjects. Others, though, are cutting edge in delivering information and opinion.

As a result, some analysts say U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials might be starting to track blogs for important bits of information. This interest is a sign of how far Web media such as blogs have come in reshaping the data-collection habits of intelligence professionals and others, even with the knowledge that the accuracy of what’s reported in some blogs is questionable. Still, a panel of folks who work in the U.S. intelligence field - some of them spies or former spies - discussed this month at a conference in Washington the idea of tracking blogs.

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p>Personally, I think these guys are just trying to find an excuse for why Fark keep showing up in the CIA webserver logs…

(via Anil)

iTunes: “Little Horn” by Marilyn Manson from the album Antichrist Superstar (1996, 2:43).

[See also: Quiet time | They Knew | Iraq Intelligence - Public Forum | Do you blog? Why? | Gnomedex comes to Seattle ]

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