...anyone can be a spy! Just go to Spy School.
Unlike some spy schools in the US and UK - adventure diversions - this one (now defunct) appears to be real. Igor Seroff, is a former FSB (previously KGB) officer. He just opened a "Spy School" and registrations are now being accepted. The school is located in Russia.
This is serious business, and it makes sense.
The trend...
• Governments now out-source intelligence collection to private consultants.
• Corporations now out-source intelligence collection to private consultants.
• Private consultants also out-source intelligence collection to 'other specialists' (aka Cut-Outs).
Why?
Cut-Outs = Plausible Deniability.
"So, what's a 'cut out'?" I hear you say.
In espionage, a cut-out is a courier or mechanism used to pass information and devices from one spy to another while operating in a "denied area" or a hostile environment. The two forms of cut-outs are the block and chain. A block cut-out is an agent familiar with the entire spy network or cell and those who are in it, while the chain cutout is simply an agent who is aware of only the person providing the information and the spy who is receiving the information. The chain cut-out helps to maintain the compartmentalization of the spy network, which increases security by maintaining everyone's anonymity. The term cut-out may also be used more generally to describe a person or agency used as a pawn by intelligence agencies. (more)
The Paladins return...
And, as we all know, one person's "noble cause" is another person's downfall. Be prepared. They are coming to a corporation near you, soon.
