Picture of Competitive Intelligence in the Media September 12, 2006
Posted by admin in : In The News, Spying , trackbackFrom time to time the understanding of competitive intelligence in the media is frightening.
The San Franciso Chronicle just published an article (Spying: Business as usual Subterfuge seen as a gray area in world of corporate snooping) where the author (Carloyn Said) points out:
Corporate spying may be as simple as a company president visiting competitors’ stores to see what’s on sale, as elaborate as engaging outside experts to learn about a rival’s business or as high-tech as hiring a hacker to try to breach a company’s own security measures to identify weaknesses.
Or
Companies that want to delve into James Bond territory have several types of activities to choose from, including competitive intelligence, security and private investigation. Major corporations generally have in-house specialists in at least the first two of those areas. All of those professions draw some personnel from the worlds of law enforcement, military intelligence and even the CIA.
This kind of presentation isn’t helpful to spread a correct, ethical understanding of competitive intelligence. Carloyn Said misses to draw a strict border between professional competitive intelligence and spying. If you read this you get the impression that is all the same.
Comments»
It is sad that the very secrecy and confidentiality needed for effective intelligence work, gave rise to unintelligent gossip and the psychosis of romantic adventure by which the intelligence profession (especially in its government-sponsored form) is often characterised.
The popular imagery of Hollywood spies who are equally handy with cars, women and pistols is doing great injustice to the calling of determined members of intelligence components who are painstakingly and efficiently serving their companies.
There are many jokes in circulation attempting to vilify honest competitive intelligence professionals.
Take note - only the amateurs and uninitiated are laughing…