NOTIONES paper on HUMINT

The NOTIONES Consortium is proud to announce the realization of a scientific publication about the role of Human Intelligence in the age of digital technology.

The paper focuses on the role and perspectives of Human Intelligence in the digital era. It explores technological advancements that can be harnessed by Intelligence and Security practitioners in the fields of HUMINT and its associated support activities. The paper considers various technologies, including tools for decision support, deception and information detection, and strategies for mitigating cognitive biases and other limiting factors. The analysis concerns technologies, tools and techniques used in all phases of the Intelligence Cycle, evaluating their utility considering the current challenges posed by them for Intelligence Communities and Law Enforcement Agencies. Recent developments in technologies which support other Intelligence disciplines such as SIGINT, IMINT and OSINT have potentially diminished the standing and priority of HUMINT within the Intelligence Cycle. Moreover, psychology has a crucial role in comprehending HUMINT, as human minds have their imperfections, and psychological processes like cognitive biases can result in unanticipated mistakes and unintentional outcomes within the field of Intelligence. Still, HUMINT sources continue to play a fundamental role in Intelligence Collection, analysis, and interpretation, due to their ability to recall, recognise, contextualise, and establish connections between different information. HUMINT continues to be a vital element, providing a human touch and insights that can be difficult to reproduce solely through technological methods.

[This work was supported by the NOTIONES (iNteracting netwOrk of inTelligence and securIty practitiOners with iNdustry and acadEmia actorS) project, that has received funding from the European Unions’ Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101021853]

You can download and read the full paper here.

Sources: Domenico Frascà, Giulia Venturi, Maria Ustenko, Alessandro Zanasi, Andrew Staniforth, David Fortune “The role of Human Intelligence in the age of digital technology” Romanian Intelligence Studies Review no. 1 (31) / 2024 ISSN-2393-1450 / E-ISSN 2783-9826 INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Author(s):

Domenico Frascà, Giulia Venturi, Maria Ustenko, Alessandro Zanasi (Zanasi & Partners), Andrew Staniforth, David Fortune (Saher Europe OÜ)

Keywords:

HUMINT (Human Intelligence), technologies, intelligence cycle, cognitive biases, psychology