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The project was initiated by the U.S. National Intelligence Directorate, which coordinates the work of all U.S. intelligence agencies, Meduza reports, citing The New York Times. However, the FBI and the CIA have reacted to the initiative with little enthusiasm. According to the publication, the agencies cannot even agree on basic issues: who should be included in such a database, how to store such sensitive information, and who will have access to it.
The newspaper’s sources claim that many intelligence officials consider the idea risky. Currently, information about suspected foreign agents and potential recruitment targets is strictly classified and accessible only to a select group of employees. In their view, consolidating such data into a single system could jeopardize ongoing intelligence operations and counterintelligence investigations.
Supporters of the project hold the opposite view. They believe that a centralized database will allow intelligence agencies to exchange information more quickly and track suspects in real time, which will increase the effectiveness of the entire intelligence community.
Further questions arise regarding who will oversee such a sensitive dataset. Bill Pulte is currently serving as acting Director of National Intelligence; he also heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has no professional experience in the intelligence field.
Some members of Congress have expressed concerns that concentrating such a large volume of classified information within the National Intelligence community could create risks of its politicization. The discussion was sparked by Pulte’s prior experience involving the use of confidential data in the mortgage lending sector.
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