How does the FBI differ from the CIA in terms of their roles and responsibilities?

  • Thread starter Jekertee
  • Start date
In summary: The FBI and CIA are both intelligence agencies within the United States government, but they have different focuses and jurisdictions. The FBI primarily handles domestic crimes that cross state borders, while the CIA focuses on gathering intelligence on foreign governments, corporations, and individuals. The CIA also engages in propaganda and public relations efforts and serves as the government's paramilitary hidden hand. The CIA was created by Congress in 1947 and is a descendant of the Office of Strategic Services from World War II. The CIA operates outside of the US and has a reputation for being the more "badass" agency, with a broad range of criminal activities and covert operations at the direction of the President and oversight by Congress. However, the FBI also has a strong reputation for handling criminal activity
  • #1
Jekertee
43
0
I watch tv quite often, US movies
I don't know how they differ.

But something like "Hey John! Hands up or I'll shoot!" sounds really cute
 
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  • #2
The FBI is the Federal Bureau of investigations and they handle crimes that cross state borders, but are domestic (within the US). The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) is international and handles a broader range of criminal activity, specifically gathering intelligence (espionage, terrorism).
 
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  • #3
CIA basically operates outside the borders of the US, although there has been overlaps, and more so recently.

Wikipedia said:
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. Its primary function is obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons in order to advise public policymakers. Additionally, the agency sometimes engages in propaganda and public relations efforts. It also serves as the government's paramilitary hidden hand via covert operations at the direction of the President and under oversight by Congress.
. . . .
The Central Intelligence Agency was created by Congress with passage of the National Security Act of 1947, signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. It is the descendant of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) of World War II, which was dissolved in October 1945 and its functions transferred to the State and War Departments. . . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services
 
  • #4
The central intelligence agency is the more badass one.

Coolness chart:

Cop FBI CIA
|_____|_______|
 
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  • #5
Mk said:
The central intelligence agency is the more badass one.

Coolness chart:

Cop FBI CIA
|_____|_______|
This makes me think of Colonel Flagg on the MASH TV series. :rofl:
 
  • #6
Mk said:
The central intelligence agency is the more badass one.

Coolness chart:

Cop FBI CIA
|_____|_______|

You forgot one

Cop FBI CIA DOM
|____|____|____|I now fill this area with blank space, with absolutely nothing underneath it.

Nothing. I swear.

I don't even know why you're reading this still

DOM being department of mathematics, naturally (what's the right color to do this in? I was too lazy to try a bunch of number combinations out)

Second edit: I lied, i went to the source page and started trying different background colors mentioned in it. No success yet, but apparently a lot of stuff has a .gif for the background, which may kill any chance of success
 
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  • #7
Evo said:
The FBI is the Federal Bureau of investigations and they handle crimes that cross state borders, but are domestic (within the US). The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) is international and handles a broader range of criminal activity, specifically gathering intelligence (espionage, terrorism).

i don't think the cia has any mandate to uphold any laws. they are just concern with national interests
 
  • #8
devil-fire said:
i don't think the cia has any mandate to uphold any laws. they are just concern with national interests
Yes, that's why I said specifically gathering intelligence.
 
  • #9
Chris Hillman said:
Since Astronuc mentioned Wikipedia, I mention that a popular new pastime is hunting around to see how "IP anons" using IP addresses registered to large organizations have been editing the Wikipedia.
Uh, new and popular past time where?
 
  • #10
psst..NSA..NSA
 
  • #11
Re: Mk's post quoting Chris Hillman--

The local NPR station here mentioned the Seattle School Board has banned WikiPedia use by students - largely, the NPR reporter maintains, because of doctoring of Wiki articles by special interests.

I know there are things in some Biology topics that are flat wrong or just plain weird.
The Evolution topic area was always in chaos - I haven't looked at it for a long time.

-Just checked there- it seems there is some sort of editorial lock on the Evolution page. Don't know how effective it is, but I guess it is needed.
 
  • #12
arildno said:
psst..NSA..NSA
Well, yeah. Both foreign and domestic intelligence gathering, code-breaking, and who knows what else. Black budgets that get rolled into other budgets so their expenditures are hidden, even from Congress.

The CIA has a rep for foreign intelligence-gathering (spies like Valerie Plame come to mind), though their involvement in "extraordinary renditions" (torture sessions) portray them as an all-purpose organization that can be used to provide secret cover for illegal operations.
 
  • #13
Mk said:
Uh, new and popular past time where?
Chris's post disappeared! Spooky! :biggrin:

I heard about a guy who has developed a tool which tracks IP address editing Wikipedia in order to show who is editing the articles.
 
  • #14
devil-fire said:
i don't think the cia has any mandate to uphold any laws. they are just concern with national interests
I believe that the CIA must observe US laws within US borders, but outside, they appear to have carte blanche to violate international law, and perhaps even US law - e.g. extraordinary rendition, which is essentially kidnapping.
 
  • #15
Office_Shredder said:
DOM being department of mathematics, naturally (what's the right color to do this in? I was too lazy to try a bunch of number combinations out)

Psssst...

It's black.
 
  • #16
arildno said:
psst..NSA..NSA
The NSA is a bunch'a mathematics and cryptography PhDs; by most people's standards, that is not more badass than a CIA agent.
 
  • #17
Evo said:
Yes, that's why I said specifically gathering intelligence.

handling a broad range of criminal activity and gathering intelligence don't have anything to do with each other unless the criminal activity is the act of gathering intelligence.

edit: when it comes to the cia i mean. for the fbi, handling criminal activity and gathering intelligence have a lot in common
 
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What is the main difference between the FBI and the CIA?

The main difference between the FBI and the CIA is their focus and jurisdiction. The FBI is primarily responsible for domestic law enforcement and counterintelligence within the United States, while the CIA focuses on gathering intelligence and conducting operations outside of the country.

What are the roles and responsibilities of the FBI?

The FBI's main roles and responsibilities include investigating and preventing federal crimes, gathering and analyzing intelligence related to national security threats, and providing support to other law enforcement agencies.

What are the roles and responsibilities of the CIA?

The CIA's main roles and responsibilities include collecting and analyzing intelligence, conducting covert operations, and providing intelligence analysis to policymakers and other government agencies.

How do the FBI and the CIA collaborate?

The FBI and the CIA often work together on cases that involve both domestic and foreign threats. They share intelligence and coordinate their efforts to prevent and investigate criminal activities and national security threats.

Can the FBI and the CIA operate within each other's jurisdiction?

Although the FBI and the CIA have different focuses, they do have some overlapping jurisdiction. The FBI can conduct investigations overseas with the approval of the host country, and the CIA can assist in domestic investigations if requested by the FBI or other law enforcement agencies.

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