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Comment by dheera | Hacker News Reader

> questions about foreign contacts

This sounds unreasonably intrusive IMO. What if you have a couple thousand acquaintances and friends around the world?

it's all about context. You're not asking for a job at the local donut shop, you're specifically getting involved in an organization that preoccupies itself with threats to the nation-state, internal and external. Kinda makes sense that they'd be intrusive. I'm not sure what the line of unreasonableness is in that context. You have no inherent "right" to work for the National Security Agency.

It's the NSA, dude. They specifically want someone who'll be _their spook_. What makes you think they want Mr. Cosmopolitan who lunches with Erdogan's third cousin and breakfasts with the Pope? Nothing about it sounds unreasonably intrusive. The national security guys should be rightfully paranoid.

> What makes you think they want Mr. Cosmopolitan who lunches with Erdogan's third cousin and breakfasts with the Pope?

Maybe this person has a better understanding of what's going on around the world and how different cultures work, possibly speaks multiple languages, and it might be a good thing to welcome their knowledge instead of scaring them off?

It would be harder to persuade the same person about the evils of said cultures.

Which is why they are interested in the applicant lying about those contacts.

The application will provide an opportunity to disclose foreign contacts.

Look at current events and how relationships are assets and liabilities.

Having thousands of friends and acquaintances around the world may well be disqualifying for certain positions, and assets for others.

> What if you have a couple thousand acquaintances and friends around the world?

Then that's what you say in response to the question.

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