Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Paper Reports on State Department Use of Google to Identify Iranian Sanctions' Targets

Washington Post: Seeking Iran Intelligence, U.S. Tries Google – Internet Search Yields Names Cited in U.N. Draft Resolution

  • “When the State Department recently asked the CIA for names of Iranians who could be sanctioned for their involvement in a clandestine nuclear weapons program, the agency refused, citing a large workload and a desire to protect its sources and tradecraft. Frustrated, the State Department assigned a junior Foreign Service officer to find the names another way — by using Google. Those with the most hits under search terms such as “Iran and nuclear,” three officials said, became targets for international rebuke Friday when a sanctions resolution circulated at the United Nations.”
  • Sorry, comments are closed for this post.