According to this radio story, the FBI is worried that the open environment on American campuses “makes it child’s play for political or corporate spies to steal U.S. research.”
The rapport between the FBI and universities has traditionally been uneasy, but the struggle against terrorism appears to be forging new liaisons. Thus, it may come as a shock to some that a number of university presidents are now cooperating with the agency and, according to Wired, may even be “willing to become its eyes and ears on campus.”