Editing Espionage (section)

== Agents in espionage ==
In espionage jargon, an "agent" is the person who does the spying. They may be a citizen of a country recruited by that country to spy on another; a citizen of a country recruited by that country to carry out [[false flag]] assignments disrupting his own country; a citizen of one country who is recruited by a second country to spy on or work against his own country or a third country, and more.

In popular usage, this term is sometimes confused with an ''[[intelligence officer]]'', ''intelligence operative'', or ''case officer'' who recruits and handles agents.

Among the most common forms of agent are:
* [[Agent provocateur]]: instigates trouble or provides information to gather as many people as possible into one location for an arrest.
* Intelligence agent: provides access to [[Information sensitivity|sensitive information]] through the use of special privileges. If used in ''corporate intelligence'' gathering, this may include gathering information of a corporate business venture or [[Portfolio (finance)|stock portfolio]]. In ''economic intelligence'', "Economic Analysts may use their specialized skills to analyze and interpret economic trends and developments, assess and track foreign financial activities, and develop new econometric and modelling methodologies."<ref name="Economic_intelligence">Cia.gov</ref> This may also include information of trade or tariff.
* [[Agent of influence|Agent-of-influence]]: provides political influence in an area of interest, possibly including [[Propaganda|publications]] needed to further an intelligence service agenda.<ref name="bar" /> The use of the media to print a story to [[Disinformation|mislead]] a foreign service into action, exposing their operations while under surveillance.
* [[Double agent]]: engages in clandestine activity for two intelligence or security services (or more in joint operations), who provides information about one or about each to the other, and who wittingly withholds significant information from one on the instructions of the other or is unwittingly manipulated by one so that significant facts are withheld from the adversary. [[Peddler]]s, [[Fabricator (intelligence)|fabricators]], and others who work for themselves rather than a service are not double agents because they are not agents. The fact that double agents have an agent relationship with both sides distinguishes them from penetrations, who normally are placed with the target service in a staff or officer capacity."<ref name="double_agent">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol6no1/html/v06i1a05p_0001.htm |title=Double Agent |publisher=cia.gov |access-date=2010-05-14 |archive-date=2019-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701161536/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol6no1/html/v06i1a05p_0001.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** [[Re-doubled agent|Redoubled agent]]: forced to mislead the foreign intelligence service after being caught as a double agent.
** Unwitting double agent: offers or is forced to recruit as a double or redoubled agent and in the process is recruited by either a third-party intelligence service or his own government without the knowledge of the intended target intelligence service or the agent. This can be useful in capturing important information from an agent that is attempting to seek allegiance with another country. The '''double agent''' usually has knowledge of both intelligence services and can identify operational techniques of both, thus making third-party recruitment difficult or impossible. The knowledge of operational techniques can also affect the relationship between the operations officer (or case officer) and the agent if the case is transferred by an operational targeting officer] to a new operations officer, leaving the new officer vulnerable to attack. This type of transfer ''may'' occur when an officer has completed his term of service or when his ''cover'' is blown.
** [[Triple agent]]: works for three intelligence services.{{How|Please give an example of how this would work and be balanced.|date=July 2020}}
* [[Fabricator (intelligence)|Fabricator]]: used to spread disinformation.
* [[Sleeper agent]]: recruited to ''wake up'' and perform a specific set of tasks or functions while living undercover in an area of interest. This type of agent is not the same as a ''deep cover operative'', who continually contacts a case officer to file intelligence reports. A sleeper agent is not in contact with anyone until ''activated''.

Less common or lesser known forms of agent include:
* Access agent: provides access to other potential agents by providing [[offender profiling]] information that can help lead to recruitment into an intelligence service.
* [[Confusion agent]]: provides misleading information to an enemy intelligence service or attempts to discredit the operations of the ''target'' in an operation.
* Facilities agent: provides access to buildings, such as [[Garage (residential)|garages]] or offices used for [[Staging area|staging]] operations, resupply, etc.
* [[Cover (intelligence gathering)#Non-official cover|Illegal agent]]: lives in another country under [[Identity document forgery|false credentials]] and does not report to a local station. A nonofficial cover operative can be dubbed an "illegal"<ref name="Illegal">[https://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/how-do-spies-operate.html Illegal] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106175822/https://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/how-do-spies-operate.html |date=January 6, 2011 }} Mi5.gov. "How spies operate".</ref> when working in another country without diplomatic protection.
* Principal agent: functions as a [[Agent handling|handler]] for an established network of agents, usually considered "blue chip".