Source: Fortune.com
Summary
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) posted a Farsi-language message on social media, offering tips to potential informants in Iran on how to safely contact the agency. The post comes as tensions between the US and Iran rise, with President Donald Trump considering military action. The CIA has also posted similar recruitment pitches in other languages, including Mandarin, Korean, and Russian. The agency’s instructions include using virtual private networks, private web browsers, and disposable devices to circumvent internet restrictions and surveillance.
Our Reading
The strategy enters a familiar phase.
The CIA’s recruitment pitch is the latest in a series of efforts to gather intelligence in Iran. The agency’s use of social media to reach potential informants is a new twist on traditional recruitment methods. The timing of the post, as tensions between the US and Iran escalate, suggests that the CIA is seeking to capitalize on growing unrest in Iran. The agency’s instructions on how to safely contact them may be seen as a signal that they are willing to take risks to gather intelligence.
The CIA’s actions can be seen as a form of “open-source” intelligence gathering, using publicly available information to gather intelligence. This approach is likely to be met with skepticism by some, who may view it as a form of entrapment or manipulation.
Author: Evan Null
