A question someone asked the other day

[Jobber of the Week 0]

I was overhearing a discussion the other day at a fast food place, and someone asked another person at the next table: "If the government is letting the FBI and CIA and others share their information to fight terror, then what's keeping a terrorist from getting work at one agency and then getting information to all our intelligence?"

 

 

And then it hit me, I don't know. I'm sure there's SOME sort of security clearance on this kind of information, but nobody's really brought the issue up before, so since I assume somebody here has a vague idea on the new protocols, I thought I'd throw this one out there to see if anybody could contribute.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

Jobber,

 

I can only speak to my security clearance process, which isn't as high up as some friends of mine at the Agency.

 

For mine, I was interviewed, several friends of mine were interviewed, my id cards (SS, DL) checked, previous places of employment checked. It was very thorough.

 

As far as security clearances go, they operate within the realm they were issued. What clearances the CIA/FBI operate with Marney could probably answer better. I know I don't have a high enough one at the DOJ to see those

 

=)

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

There's an intricate system of secret handshakes.

[tommytomlin 0]

Based on my thorough knowledge of this subject through Jack Bauer and "24", it's not a very good system.

[Guest BDC]

I had a big background check to work in the Senate office buildings. I'm guessing that working in the intelligence community is a lot more thorough. That and counterintel people just waiting to bust your chops.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

There's an intricate system of secret handshakes.

Shhhh!

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I just walked up to the CIA's door, said the secret password, and they let me in.

 

Oh, also, I knew this guy at my old job (Ken, if you remember him, Mr. Terror) that was applying for an ATF agent job, and he had been going through the interview process for at least six months. He talked about the several interviews, background checks and other things (which I have forgotten about) that he had to do in order to be able to violate the civil rights of Upper Midwest milita members...

[Guest Cerebus]

A doozy of a question Jobber but I'll give the basics.

 

First, all classified information has 3 designations, nominally, based on the damage the publication would have to national security: Confidential (plain ol' damage), Secret (SERIOUS~! damage), and Top Secret (EXCEPIONALLY GRAVE~!!!!!1 damage) and each have corresponding security clearance levels to access. Also, a step above Top Secret are Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) files which you need specific permission to view.

 

An important thing to note is just because someone has one level of security clearance doesn't mean he/she has access to all files with that security designation, in fact it probably doesn't mean he/she has access to all those files within one's own department, the files that a person has access to is on a need-to-know basis. For example, let's say Poppick had Confidential clearance at the DoJ Anti-Trust dept. He couldn't go to the CIA and open up any Confidential file there, in fact he couldn't even do that in the Anti-Trust Dept. without proper clearance.

 

I can't speak for the civilian intel depts, but in the military one needs to be a US Citizen for any clearance at all, and all of one's immidiete family must be citizens for Secret Clerance or higher. For me, I needed Top Secret clearance after I was selected for the Intel branch and training at the NMITC and the first thing I had to do was fill out the SF-86 form (which also gave DSS access to ALL records about me, including juvenile and expunged ones). After I filled that out the Defense Security Service did a full background check on me, which amounted to checking out my criminal record, the local police record where I lived on me, employee records, financial records, and a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) which amounted to field interviews with my parents, my employers, my NROTC cadre, neighbors, and some of my professors and an interview with me. After DSS does its investigation it turns over the info to the Adjucator who makes the final call. Like I said, this is for military clearance, but I would imagine civllian clearance is similar.

[Firestarter 0]

It's similar. I went through an SBI (Special Background Investigation), which can take over six months for clearance, and I go through a standard periodic reinvestigation every two years. As Cerebus said, a given clearance level isn't carte blanche to read any and all files - and all levels of clearance are restricted by department at the very least. It depends on your job's PSD (Position Sensitivity Designator), but usually your access is restricted to exactly what you need to do the work and nothing else.

[Guest Cerebus]

Two years? That is pretty short, in the military even Top Secret clerance needs to be renewed only every five years.

[Guest BDC]

I'd guess that CounterIntelligence tries to keep the net pretty tight.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

Yup, they hit that about right.

[Dr. Tom 0]

The clearance process changed after September 11th, too. It used to take a lot less time to get a clearance, but no more. This ensures thorough investigations and makes sure the appropriate stones are turned.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

it's all based on who's fucking who's mistress.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

it's all based on who's fucking who's mistress.

This would be the best system.

 

 

This thread has made my mind boggle. Do we have an even larger amount of government employees here than I thought? Or do some people just happen to have an exceptional amount of knowledge in this area?

[Guest MikeSC]

The clearance process changed after September 11th, too. It used to take a lot less time to get a clearance, but no more. This ensures thorough investigations and makes sure the appropriate stones are turned.

I always assumed things like the Aldrich Ames (sp?) affair and the double agents that were exposed in the 90's led to the changing of the rules.

-=Mike

[Guest Cerebus]

The clearance process changed after September 11th, too. It used to take a lot less time to get a clearance, but no more. This ensures thorough investigations and makes sure the appropriate stones are turned.

I don't know about that, they started the investegation of me not long after 9/11 it still took about 6 months.

[Dr. Tom 0]

I always assumed things like the Aldrich Ames (sp?) affair and the double agents that were exposed in the 90's led to the changing of the rules.

-=Mike

That DID add another secret handshake.

[Guest MikeSC]

I always assumed things like the Aldrich Ames (sp?) affair and the double agents that were exposed in the 90's led to the changing of the rules.

              -=Mike

That DID add another secret handshake.

Explains why my old contacts stopped giving me primo information.

-=Mike