There’s a report from the LA Times that spy agencies in the U.S. are using collaborative tools created with wiki software.

The CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have created a computer system that uses software from a popular Internet encyclopedia site [Wikipedia] to gather content on sensitive topics from analysts across the spy community, part of an effort to fix problems that plagued prewar estimates on Iraq

It perfectly underscores how any organization with or seeking to prevent “siloisis” (a serious case of the silos, i.e. divisions that can’t or won’t share knowledge that should be shared if the business is to reach its potential and/or not make giant, fatal mistakes) will benefit from a properly implemented social media-style collaborative space. And these tools have of course existed long before the invention of the wiki. It’s simply that these new versions are relatively easy and inexpensive to implement, and they’re also truly collaborative (unlike the “please give me your feedback” email sent by the boss).

Interesting story, worth the read if you have a moment.

Now, should I categorize this under “Social Media and International Espionage”?