Spies: Intel Outsourcing Doubles, Bill Seeks to Rein in Controversial Powers

From today's Secrecy News, a bulletin of the Federation of American Scientists: "A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would require U.S. intelligence agencies to report to Congress on the total number and cost of contractors that they employ and to provide detailed information on the services that contractors perform. Some controversial intelligence contractor activities would be prohibited outright, including arrest, interrogation and detention... 'Contracting in the intelligence community has more than doubled in scope in the last decade, and it's clear that effective management and oversight is lacking,' said Rep. David Price (D-NC), who co-sponsored the new legislation (H.R. 5973) with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-CA)... Journalist Tim Shorrock writing in Salon and elsewhere has recently authored a book on intelligence contracting which describes as much about the sensitive subject as intrepid reporting can uncover." See "Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing" (Simon & Schuster).