Today’s Washington post has an intriguing story revealing how the US State Department turned to Google to identify bad actors in Iran.

“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.”

What does this amazing story mean? (It gets more amazing as you read the rest, btw.) Is it about infighting between State and CIA? Or the rise of importance of the Web? Or the predilection of the young to turn to Google for answers? Or the fact that The Google has become our collective giant brain? I’ll take all four, if you please.

Categories: Uncategorized, , Related posts: • Some Germans think Google knows too much;  • Intelligence community embraces Web 2.0;  • Peter Norvig on Google and AI;   Comments: none