Travers argues that information sharing in general has improved significantly since the attacks of 9/11. He proceeds to deconstruct many popular arguments made by others claiming that intelligence gathering and information sharing, as practiced by entities in the United States today, are flawed. He also discusses legal, policy-based, and regulatory obstacles that impair reasonable intelligence and information collection and processing.
After reading this piece, complete the following:
- Define (that is, "operationalize") the concepts of intelligence versus information.
- Do differences in these terms matter?
- How might either be easier-or more difficult-to share with other agencies?
Also consider if some levels of government or sectors of society might be more or less amenable to sharing information. (For example, private sector entities that own and operate critical infrastructure upon which the nation or communities rely might hesitate to share proprietary information that makes them less competitive, economically. Is their reluctance reasonable?)