The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has launched a new effort to recruit informants in China, Iran, and North Korea, building on what it describes as successful recruitment efforts in Russia.
On Wednesday, the CIA posted instructions in Mandarin, Farsi, and Korean across social media platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn, and the Dark Web, offering guidance on how individuals can securely contact the agency.
A CIA spokesperson noted that the campaign aims to reach citizens in authoritarian regimes, particularly in light of increased state surveillance and repression. “Our efforts have been successful in Russia, and we want people in other regimes to know that we’re open for business,” the spokesperson said.
A Mandarin-language video posted to YouTube encouraged individuals to use encrypted Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or the TOR network for secure communication with the CIA. The agency requested personal information not associated with real identities, along with intelligence that could be useful, while also warning that responses were not guaranteed and may take time.
The recruitment drive reflects the CIA’s growing need for intelligence, especially as China strengthens its ties with Russia and Iran. U.S. intelligence officials have long considered Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as “hard targets” due to the difficulty in penetrating their governments.
The CIA has expanded its efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear program, its conflict with Israel, and its ties to Russia. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and alleged arms supplies to Russia for the Ukraine war are also key intelligence targets.
The CIA began its social media recruitment campaign in Russia in 2022 by posting Russian language texts on its social media accounts on how to contact the agency securely, and has since expanded to include videos in 2023.
Melissa Enoch
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