by Administrator
16.Sep.2011 14:44:00
For citizens of a major economic and political power it is surprising how naïve we can be.
Spying has and will always be part of the landscape as long as human competition exists. Creative minds share ideas, exchange information & invent stuff, while others pilfer the results.
Just think how often people (ourselves included) steal from websites, copy designs and download material/information, all identified, researched, analyzed and produced by others … At no cost to ourselves…and certainly with no pangs of conscience!
Yet even at government level, it is startling to notice that people happily assume they are somehow inviolate as intelligence targets! Just as we North Americans stole and copied so diligently from the Europeans, so too, emerging economies are hell bent on gaining the competitive edge at any cost. We make/made it easy with outsourcing, by inviting foreign teams to spend times in our operational environments and by talking too much to close deals. The notion of being somehow in total control of our destinies is perhaps the culprit?
Are we truly aware of what information walks out the door? The solution does not lie in legislation, process, security checks alone; nor in assuming the validity of our own moral code, but rather in the ongoing awareness/vigilance of individuals, teams, organizations and governments as to the economic danger posed by exposure to prying eyes.
In my regular courses on Corporate Intelligence Awareness, I encounter many individuals who persist in equating vigilance with paranoia!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tory-mp-who-flirted-with-chinese-reporter-passed-security-check/article2162968/
