US spies on Iran using Google

According to the Washington Post, the CIA told the State Department to go forth and multiply when it asked for a list of Iranians who could be sanctioned for their involvement in a clandestine nuclear weapons program.

The State Department assigned a junior Foreign Service officer to find the names by using Google.

The search pulled up 100 names, including Iranian diplomats who have publicly defended their country's efforts as intended to produce energy.

The list also included names of Iranians who have spoken with UN inspectors or have attended International Atomic Energy Agency meetings about Iran.

The list was whittled down to about 12 before it was re-submitted to the CIA for checking. Apparently those who had the most hits under search terms such as "Iran and nuclear", became targets for international rebuke when a US backed sanctions resolution circulated at the United Nations was drawn up.

It seems that the US government has now become reliant on an Internet search to select targets for international sanctions. So next time US invades another country, it could be that we should hold Google responsible.