What is counterintelligence?
Q: What is counterintelligence?
A: Counterintelligence is an activity to protect a state against spies and other activities of a foreign intelligence service. It includes "protecting an agency's intelligence program against an opposition's intelligence service" and refers to information gathered and steps taken to counter espionage.
Q: What other activities are taken by counterintelligence?
A: Counterintelligence also takes activities to prevent sabotage, or assassinations by foreign powers, organizations or persons, as well as work on physical, document or communications security programs.
Q: How does the UK distinguish between domestic and foreign intelligence gathering?
A: In the United Kingdom, there is a distinction between the Security Service (MI5) which handles domestic security and the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police which makes arrests and interrogations, while MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service gathers intelligence abroad.
Q: How is this different in the USA?
A: In theory in the USA there is a similar division between foreign activities handled by CIA with no law enforcement function and homeland activities handled by FBI; however in practice this set-up is much more complex due to events such as James Angleton’s career and Watergate scandal showing CIA involvement in mainland USA. The addition of Department of Homeland Security was recognition that US was potential target of attack from its enemies.
Q: Who was first country to set up official counterintelligence organisation?
A: Russia may have been first country to set up official counterintelligence organisation - Okhrana was set up in 1880 with title 'Department for Protecting Public Security and Order'.
Q: When did earlier Russian security department start operating?
A: Earlier Russian security department called 'Department on Protecting Order & Public Peace' started operating in 1866 as part of MVD (Ministry of Interior).
Q: What were these organisations mainly directed towards?
A: These Russian organisations were mainly directed towards internal threats rather than foreign intelligence services.
