The CIA has taken steps to facilitate communication with potential informants in Iran, China, and North Korea by providing online instructions in Korean, Mandarin, and Farsi. These instructions aim to enable individuals to contact U.S. intelligence officials securely without jeopardizing their safety.
The guidelines, available in text-only videos and infographics, outline various methods for reaching the CIA, including accessing the agency's public website or utilizing the darknet, a section of the internet accessible only through specialized tools that conceal the user's identity. Similar instructions were previously issued in Russian following Russia's incursion into Ukraine.
In efforts to expand outreach, the CIA emphasized its success in engaging with individuals in Russia and expressed its readiness to engage with those in other authoritarian regimes. The agency underscored the importance of ensuring the safety of potential sources seeking to communicate with them.
To navigate internet restrictions and surveillance, the instructions recommend using a virtual private network (VPN) and employing devices that are challenging to trace back to the user. Additionally, potential informants are advised to utilize private web browsers and erase their browsing history to maintain anonymity.
The instructions were disseminated in Korean, Mandarin, and Farsi on various platforms, including Telegram, YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Despite platform restrictions in countries like China, Iran, and Russia, individuals can access these resources using VPNs.
Authoritarian regimes worldwide have leveraged the internet for mass surveillance and dissemination of propaganda while restricting access to certain websites and information sources. Countries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran block American platforms like Facebook and control internet access to manage information flow.
VPNs and similar tools offer avenues to bypass censorship and surveillance; however, their usage has attracted scrutiny. The CIA cautioned potential sources to be discerning in selecting VPN providers, advising against those headquartered in countries unfriendly to the United States.
