The Absurdity of Secrecy: Why the US Government Forbids Its Intelligence Officers From Reading Publicly Available Leaks

This article examines the paradoxical US government policy prohibiting intelligence officers from accessing publicly available leaked documents, despite their widespread dissemination online. Using the 1969 KGB forgery operation and recent mega-leaks like Snowden as examples, it argues that while these leaks pose geopolitical risks, they also offer invaluable learning opportunities for understanding intelligence tradecraft and computer network penetrations. However, US government policy punishes officers for even looking at this information. This approach is not only absurd but hinders the US national security establishment's ability to improve and meet future challenges. The author calls for a shift in government thinking—from protecting information to learning lessons from it—to better navigate the increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape.