Keeping in touch with other spies is worth the risk if you can pass encrypted messages without detection.
Anyone who approaches you and claims they are a spy will be a cop.
Anyone who approaches you and has a very polarized world view is either a spy or a cop.
Anyone who starts up a random conversation with you after you have seen them around several of your "favourite" places will most definitely be a spy.
People you can trust are few and far between.
Ironically the more you learn about security the fewer people you can trust - yet the more people you need to trust grows as you learn about security...
Great places for "exchanging" information or cyphers are:
Libraries - but who goes there?
Chat rooms online - watch for cops
Drop points - just random places to drop an encrypted CD or thumb drive
Face to face meets - randomly take the same night class at the college
I had one buddy who would slip intel through my open car window and I would do the same for him. part of the encrypted information in the intel was a detailed schedule of where his car would be for the next week - I would use that information to track the car and drop the data. It worked great for 2 years.
Set up a schedule and don't follow any set pattern for meeting i.e. every tuesday meet in shady alley.
Get out there and network but it is a quagmire of cops and double agents!
Jay
