Competitive counter-intelligence is the flip-side of CI.

In the same way that you, as a CI specialist will try to gather information on competitors, the counter-intelligence specialist will try and stop you. This can be

• by ensuring that only appropriate communications are released by the company;
• disinformation, aimed at confusing and misleading outsiders about the company's real intentions;
• through procedures that stop and control the accidental / inadvertent release of information.

As an example, some companies have rules about who can speak to outsiders. If you do not have the name of an individual within the company then you will be passed to an external relations spokesperson who will assess your enquiry before passing you on to the relevant person. So, if your purpose is to interview a staff member to gather CI then you may find access denied. (This is assuming that you are honest and do not lie about who you are and who you represent - in other words, follow ethical approaches to competitive intelligence information gathering). Other companies monitor e-mails coming in and going out of the firm, looking for keywords including competitor names and similar information that could indicate leaks. And of course many do both - and more, monitoring telephone traffic, briefing staff before they meet contacts on what not to say, and so on.

Counter intelligence recognises the techniques used by ethical CI practitioners and also those who cross the line into industrial espionage and sets up procedures to block access. Essentially, firms with a well-oiled counter intelligence process take the same attitude to their information assets as to their physical assets. Both are too valuable to be left unguarded, and both require appropriate security measures to keep them protected.

Note: This FAQ was originally published in the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professional's membership magazine (Competitive Intelligence Magazine - Jul-Aug 2002)