The Former NSA Tech Director Bill Binney did an “Ask Me Anything” AMA on Reddit discussing what working for the NSA was like. He gives some in depth answers to questions that surround the rather private institution.
One of the more notable answers he gives is that the NSA is employed primarily by ISTJ personality types. He says this is a reason for some of the ethical problems because “They are afraid to stand up and oppose things to avoid conflicts”
Here is the direct Q&A:
jerkyk414:
“So i’ve always wondered what employees thoughts are when asked to do questionable things like some of the stuff the NSA does. Back when you were an employee, what was the general consensus around the “office” when asked to create a civilian surveillance program? Were your coworkers all gung-ho and convinced they were doing the right thing? Did they think it was awful, but it paid the bills? Or was it something that was just never discussed?”
IamBillBinney:
“Most of them did not like the program and opposed it (Stellar Wind). But the vast population of NSA are ISTJ on the Myers Briggs scale, which means they are afraid to stand up and oppose things to avoid conflicts.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_Indicator”
This is a rather interesting comment that might help understand the NSA better. What are your thoughts?