REBROADCAST: Tasking One Human vs. Asking a Crowd: Information-Gathering in the Era of Crowdsourced Data

In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of technology-based information-gathering, navigating the key differences between tasking an individual source and asking a crowd. We unpack how the shift from traditional HUMINT collection to crowdsourcing has been made possible by technological advancements, and discuss the importance of implementing an enhanced safeguard framework for responsible data usage.

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About the authors
Robert A. Broadbent
Howard W. Herndon

Transcript

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In the evolving landscape of technology-based information-gathering, the distinctions between tasking an individual source and asking a crowd have become more pronounced. 

 At a time when indications and warning of global developments are critical to great power competition, the U.S. Government has not developed the appropriate policy and oversight mechanisms to leverage this capability, which is all too often conflated with human intelligence. 

 Today, the crowd is bigger, more aggregated, and therefore more anonymized than ever before. The physical and technical processes inherent in crowdsourcing platforms fundamentally distinguish asking a crowd from tasking a Human Intelligence asset. The crowd, rather than the individual, is the source of the information, reducing the risks inherent in individualized Human Intelligence collection and demanding a change in oversight and policy considerations. 

 In Human Intelligence collection, the tasking is specific to the individual. In crowdsourced information-gathering, the crowd is specific to the ask. 

 The differences in tasking an individual versus asking a crowd are conclusive in distinguishing crowdsourcing from Human Intelligence and demonstrates the transformative role that crowdsourced data providers play in contemporary information collection. 

 Tasking within Human Intelligence operations means particular instructions and missions are assigned to individual human sources by a person who is specifically trained and certified for the collection of information from individuals. This approach relies on tasking through interpersonal relationships, personalized instructions, and direct human-to-human interactions. In other words, the “task” is influenced by the individual. 

 Conversely, when data providers ask a crowd, the asking is not influenced by the source, rather, the “ask” determines what crowd will answer. For example, changes to data requests or contract requirements are not instructions particularized for an individual human source. Unlike in Human Intelligence tasking, these asks are agnostic as to the source. When the data request or contract requirements change, then sourced crowd with automatically change with the ask. This does not require direct human engagement. The crowd adjusts to the ask. 

 Asking the crowd elicits information from a diverse group of individuals through technology-driven methods, eliminating the need for relationships with specific human sources and personalized tasking that have been the pinnacle of Human Intelligence collection. Utilizing crowdsourced data platforms makes the resultant information Publicly Available Information, rather than the product of sensitive contacts with individual sources.

 In sum, a pivotal factor distinguishing Human Intelligence from crowdsourced data is the role that technology plays in the interactions with the humans in the crowd. Crowdsourced data platforms utilize advanced technologies to aggregate and analyze information, creating a decentralized and efficient intelligence gathering process that does not rely on cultivated relationships with individual sources. 

 Like with all data, to ensure responsible and effective deployment of crowdsourced data, especially for sensitive data types or for data from specific regions on certain topics, implementation of enhanced safeguard framework is crucial. 

 As technology continues to reshape categories of intelligence and information gathering, understanding the nuances between tasking one human and asking a crowd becomes pivotal. Crowdsourced data providers offer a dynamic alternative to traditional Human Intelligence collection practices, ushering in a new era of intelligence and information collection that harnesses the collective power of the crowd. Enhanced safeguards and a clear understanding that the individual Human Intelligence source determines the tasking but asking determines the crowd are essential to ensuring the appropriate standards of oversight are applied based on reduced risks to privacy and reliability in this aggregated, anonymized environment.

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