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The acquisition of information using various different methods and sources is a vital part of the intelligence process and cycle. However, the collection of too much raw information and data can lead to the problem of ‘information overload’. In this paper we will critically assess what impact information overload has for effective, efficient and ethical intelligence practice. We will do this by examining what exactly information overload is, the intelligence process, types of intelligence collected and how the intelligence is delivered to key decision makers. Firstly then, what exactly is information overload? Respected author and journalist Alvin Toffler first popularised the term in the 1970’s when he defined information overload as: ‘the difficulty in effectively making decisions when one has too much information to consider in a clear way’ (Marlin, 2018, p4). As part of the intelligence cycle raw information is first collected and then analysed by intelligence analysts before it is turned into an intelligence report ready for dissemination (James, 2016, p16). So, we understand then that information overload can occur when intelligence officials acquire so much information at the collection phase that the volume of information is then too much to effectively or efficiently work with.

 

Effective Intelligence

As part of the intelligence process and cycle in order for intelligence to be effective it must be delivered in a timely manner so that key stakeholders can make informed decisions (Moran, 2021). Information overload can cause a delay with intelligence being delivered to decision makers in an effective and timely manner. If there is too much information to analyse after the collection phase of the intelligence cycle this will slow down the cycle at the analysing part, almost causing a bottleneck type of situation, which can then cause a delay with disseminating vital intelligence to key

decision makers. This has the potential to cause an intelligence failure all because the intelligence was delivered too late in order for it to be effective. An example of information overload impacting on effective intelligence comes

from an incident from the Vietnam War. It was discovered after the war that the US military had collected so much IMINT (Imagery Intelligence) that there were drawers full of aerial reconnaissance photographs that no one had ever even looked at because too many photographs were collected without enough resources to analyse them (Hughes-Wilson, 2016). Information overload without doubt impacted on the effectiveness of this photo intelligence as they were left to stagnate in a drawer without ever being delivered to analysts or decision makers who could have

potentially used them effectively in the war effort.

 

Information overload can also contribute towards intelligence failures and the effective use of intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks. After the July 7th 2005 London suicide bombings part of the enquiry afterwards discovered that the Joint Terrorism Analyst Centre was receiving on average around 1,000 items of intelligence every week before the attack (Phythian, 2006, p365). This vast amount of weekly information potentially caused information overload and paralysed the effective use of intelligence that could have prevented the attack due to the backlog of time and effort it would have taken to analyse so much information. In addition to this, information overload not only creates a problem with the effective use of intelligence to prevent terrorist incidents before they occur, but it also impacts the effectiveness of utilising intelligence after an attack. For example, part of the course material supplied with this assignment includes a quote from a biography of the former US Secretary of State and former National Security Advisor

Condoleezza Rice who said after the 9/11 terrorist attacks: ‘We basically went from no information to floods. It just started flooding with everything. So now you were getting unassessed intelligence. You know, just about anything anyone said, might be a threat’ (Bumiller, 2009, p168). What this indicates is that information overload can have a critical impact on the effective use of intelligence by overwhelming officials with too much information in the investigation after a terrorist attack where intelligence can be useful in order to help with identifying who the terrorists were,

what group they belonged to, their ideology, modus operandi and, quite possibly more importantly, if any further attacks are planned.

 

Efficient Intelligence

In the modern digital age huge volumes of data can be collected by intelligence agencies with relative ease especially with OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) that is readily available with the growth of the internet and use of social media. To give an example of the staggering volumes of data involved, in 2013 up to 1.7 billion phone calls, emails and other related communications were collected by the National Security Agency every single day (Young, 2013, p25). However, attempts by intelligence agencies to collect ever increasing volumes of data and information causes them to inadvertently end up repeatedly collecting the same information multiple of times (Ibid). This can then cause inefficiencies during the intelligence cycle at different stages. For example, duplicating and repeating efforts at the

collection stage of the intelligence cycle is not a very efficient use of valuable and limited resources and, at the analysis stage, although corroborating intelligence from multiple sources forms part of an analyst’s role, having to repeatedly verify the same data or information may not be an efficient use of an analyst’s time as they struggle to wade through the same data or information multiple times. In 2019 a United States National Intelligence report highlighted the strategic concern with the ‘exploding’ volume of information collected and the challenges this presents with the ability to collect, and analyse data (Sherman, 2019). Increasing use of technology is needed to store vast amounts of data in either local servers or cloud storage. Both options are expensive and may not necessarily be an efficient use of taxpayer’s money, especially with the over collection of unnecessary information. In 2011, for example, in order to cope with the expanding amount of data collected and stored the US National Security Agency announced that plans

had commenced with the building of a brand-new data storage centre estimated to cost a $1.2 billion USD (NSA.Gov, 2011). Information overload can have an impact on the efficiency of productivity, performance, employee learning development and management decision making (Wolfberg, 2017). So, for example in an intelligence organisation with so much information to analyse this could have the impact of reducing analyst’s productivity and affect the quality of intelligence product that they produce. Information overload may also impact the performance of management and decision makers who may be overwhelmed with too many reports in order to make effective decisions.

 

Ethical Intelligence

The modern digital age has especially impacted on the issue of ethical collection and use of intelligence. The collection of too much information by intelligence organisations has led to concerns regarding invasions of privacy, intrusive

surveillance and mass surveillance issues especially since the former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden publicly leaked intelligence documents (Walsh and Miller, 2016). Whether he acted rightly or wrongly by leaking classified and protected information by doing so Snowden made very public just how much data was collected by US intelligence agencies. This in turn caused a public debate about privacy and human rights concerns as well as ethical and moral questions about how much irrelevant or excessive information is collected on private members of the public by the intelligence community, which was quite possibly fuelled by the increase of intelligence collection by different agencies after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent security legislations implemented afterwards (Ibid).

 

In the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks it also not only highlighted the vast amounts of information collected by various different intelligence agencies, but it raised concerns about how long private information on people is kept for as well. For example, the NSA reportedly keeps data for up to five years or more after it has been collected (Logan, 2017, p2) by which time this information could be out of date and no longer accurate. In the UK for example the Data Protection Act 1998 states data should be kept for no longer than necessary for the purpose that it was collected for and in most cases no more than as little as 28 days (Gov.uk). Information overload caused by the collection of too much information can cause problems with the integrity and security of handling and storing volumes of data. If an intelligence organisation has collected too much information and does not have enough resources to appropriately and securely handle and disseminate this information, then it could lead to data breaches. For example, in the UK an

Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office report stated that the British security services (MI5) broke the law because it did not ensure enough safeguarding measures to secure data it had collected (IPCO, 2018).

 

Information overload caused by the collection of so much intelligence has left intelligence agencies struggling with enough personnel to analyse and disseminate so much data and information. In 2006 it was reported that up to 70% of the $60 billion a year US intelligence community budget was outsourced to private intelligence contractors (Shorrock, 2008, p6) to assist with the growth of intelligence especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This highlights the concerns of how the privacy and safeguarding of private and personal information can be ethical in the hands of such private companies and their employees.

 

Finally, if intelligence agencies attempt to widen their scope and scale of collection this may not only cause information overload with all the additional volumes of data and information collected but this widening area of collection efforts

may also start to cover individuals or groups where it may not necessarily be legal, ethical or morally proportionate to use intelligence against. For example, prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks the question was raised about should big intelligence agencies be used to combat groups or individuals such as right-wing criminals or anti-abortion

protestors (Martin, 2009). The collection of too much information on irrelevant groups raises ethical concerns with civil liberties and big government intrusion as well as questioning whether such resources should only be utilised on more serious targets such as terrorist groups or hostile foreign intelligence services.

 

Conclusion

Information overload causes key critical issues across the whole stage of the intelligence process and cycle and with the types of intelligence collected. We have seen at the collection stage in the modern digital age OSINT and SIGINT is

specifically vulnerable to causing information overload as technology is able to automatically intercept and collect ever increasingly volumes of data with ease. At the analysis stage information overload weighs down analysts with too much

information to effectively assess or efficiently process. This then impacts the sharing of information and slows down the dissemination of vital intelligence to key decision makers at the delivery stage of the cycle which could cause an intelligence failure, such as preventing a terrorist attack before it occurs for example, when the intelligence is failed to be delivered in a timely or efficient manner. Information overload also causes cost inefficiencies in Information Technology for intelligence organisations as it is expensive to store data. The storage of data could cause legal liabilities for intelligence organisations if the data collected is not appropriately managed, stored or safeguarded against theft or loss. Lastly, especially in the digital age, information overload caused by collecting too much

information can lead towards human rights and privacy concerns. Intelligence agencies must get the balance right between efficiently collecting sufficient amounts of information proportionate to their needs in a cost-effective manner within their scope of practice and without breaching legislation or legal framework and then making effective use of intelligence by efficiently delivering their product.