Spies: Intelligence Agency and Espionage

Most countries throughout the world have their own intelligence agencies that gather data on political adversaries, among the more well-known being the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the British Secret Intelligence Service, and the former Soviet KGB. Two agencies, the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) and Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, are considered as close as possible to being the only forms of international intelligence. For those wanting to discover more about these and other intelligence agencies, the World Wide Web offers some valuable resources on these governmental "spy" groups.

Although there are several web sites on U.S. intelligence services, the official sites spotlighting non-American agencies can be just as elusive as the spies themselves who are employed by these governmental bodies. While there is some online data covering foreign intelligence agencies, it is oftentimes limited in order to protect the security of these groups' operations. The information that is posted is usually done so to attract recruits and to increase awareness of the agencies' existence through positive publicity.

Due to the limited availability of online resources on foreign espionage, Internet users are more likely to locate the most useful information on international intelligence at those sites offering comprehensive, "unofficial" data. It should be noted that the information displayed at these sites is not always verifiable and can be a bit dated and one-sided as far as describing the functions of the featured agencies. Still, these sites oftentimes provide a wealth of information and visitors can formulate their own assumptions on what they find there. Regardless of what the reason is for seeking information on intelligence agencies, computer users will definitely find a considerable number of resources with the help of the World Wide Web.