The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has initiated a new recruitment campaign aimed at securing informants from China, Iran, and North Korea, expanding on the success of a similar effort in Russia. The agency’s latest drive, announced Wednesday, encourages citizens of these authoritarian nations to share intelligence with U.S. officials while providing secure means to contact the CIA.
In a series of videos and infographics posted in Mandarin, Farsi, and Korean on platforms like YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, and Facebook, the CIA outlined steps to ensure secure communication. The instructions detail how to use encrypted Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and the Tor browser, widely used to access the dark web, in order to hide the identity of potential informants. The campaign is also reaching audiences through encrypted apps like Telegram, as well as social media platforms, some of which are banned in these nations but accessible via VPNs.
The CIA released a video targeting internet users in China, encouraging them to share intelligence and demonstrating how to securely contact the agency online. pic.twitter.com/qYAYuHxEsO
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 3, 2024
A CIA spokesperson said “We want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we’re open for business.” The CIA emphasized that the safety and well-being of potential informants is a priority.
This campaign follows a similar effort launched in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which U.S. officials have described as successful. Encouraged by that outcome, the CIA is now focusing on what it calls “hard target” countries—nations like China, North Korea, and Iran that maintain tight state control and restrict access to foreign media and social platforms. Intelligence experts consider these countries to be among the most challenging for information gathering due to the advanced surveillance systems in place.
However, some analysts question the effectiveness of targeting countries like North Korea, where internet access is extremely limited and state surveillance is pervasive. Mason Richey, a professor of international politics at Hankuk University in South Korea, suggested the CIA may be aiming at specific groups, such as traders who cross the China-North Korea border and might have access to external networks.
CIA Deputy Director David Cohen expressed confidence that the campaign would reach dissatisfied individuals within these regimes. Speaking to Bloomberg, Cohen said, “There are plenty of people who have access to information and who are disaffected with the Xi regime in China.” He noted that people who oppose Chinese President Xi Jinping’s direction may view collaboration with the U.S. as a way to help their own country.
In response to the campaign, China accused the U.S. of engaging in an “organized and systematic” disinformation effort. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, stated that attempts to weaken the bond between the Chinese Communist Party and its people would fail.
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