The CIA is making it easier for potential informants in Iran, China, and North Korea to share intelligence with the US. Instructions have been posted online in multiple languages, including Farsi, Mandarin, and Korean, detailing how informants can discreetly contact US intelligence officials without compromising their safety. These instructions are similar to those posted two years ago for Russians after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. They include advice on using the public internet and the dark web, utilizing methods to mask user identities. The agency will evaluate each message received, but may not reply based on the security situation of the informant.
In Russia, disaffection following the invasion of Ukraine created a recruiting opportunity for the CIA. By offering instructions on how to securely communicate with them through the dark web and encrypted browsers, the agency aims to reach potential informants in other authoritarian regimes. These platforms, including Telegram, YouTube, and X, are often blocked in countries like China, Iran, and Russia, but users can still access them with VPNs. The rise of “digital authoritarianism” in these countries involves blocking and censoring websites, conducting digital surveillance, and restricting bandwidth to suppress criticism or cut off information. The use of VPNs and other tools provides a way around this censorship but also makes them a target, so informants need to be selective in choosing the right program to protect themselves.
The instructions include using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass government surveillance, selecting untraceable devices, and deleting web histories. The CIA will assess each message received, and the evaluation process may take time. Informants are warned that the agency may not reply based on their security situation. The CIA emphasizes the importance of using a VPN provider not headquartered in Russia, Iran, China, or any other country considered unfriendly to the United States. By providing comprehensive security advice in various formats, such as text-only videos and infographics, the CIA hopes to encourage safe and secure communication from informants in these restrictive regimes.
The instructions for potential informants in Iran, China, and North Korea are part of an ongoing effort by the CIA to make contact with individuals around the world. The agency sees the response they received from Russians following the Russia-Ukraine war as a success and aims to replicate that success in other authoritarian regimes. The instructions posted online offer detailed guidance on using both the public internet and the dark web for secure contact, using methods to protect user identities. By making it easier for individuals to reach out to the CIA from these countries, the agency hopes to foster communication and potentially gather valuable intelligence from these regions.
The CIA’s outreach efforts to potential informants in Iran, China, and North Korea are part of a broader strategy to gather intelligence from countries with restrictive regimes. By providing instructions on how to securely contact US intelligence officials using encrypted browsers and VPNs, the agency hopes to encourage individuals in these countries to share information with them. The instructions posted online in multiple languages offer comprehensive advice on using the internet securely and masking user identities. The response in Russia following the Russia-Ukraine war has shown that this approach can be successful, and the CIA aims to replicate that success in other authoritarian regimes.
