The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has published a new video to instruct potential Russian sources on how to get in touch with them. We’re not talking about dead-drops, brush-pasts, secret radios or any of the older methods that spies would use to communicate with each other in enemy territory during the Cold War.
This video talks about Tor — not a mispronunciation of the old Norse god, but a reference to a website and software that allows users to communicate anonymously and securely.
As such, the 1 minute and 34 seconds-long video is subdued as it begins — from the background music and narrator’s voice, it could be an advertisement for a new insurance policy or investment fund offered by a Swiss bank. The production values are fine. The only bit of spy-thriller lite, filmy absurdity is at 56 seconds, when an actor playing an apparently troubled and conflicted Russian source who works for the Russian government, enters a cafe and brings out a second smartphone and we see the following image on our screen.
The description of the CIA video on Youtube, written in Russian, begins plaintively with:
This video shows a fictional Russian who made the difficult but important decision to secretly contact the CIA through the anonymous information system Tor. The CIA wants to know the truth about Russia, and we are looking for reliable people who know and can tell us this truth. Your information may be more valuable than you think.
We understand that the Russians may make contact with the CIA due to a variety of circumstances. We highly value and respect people who are willing to communicate with us. It is our professional duty to protect everyone who works with us around the world.
It then goes ahead to ask:
Are you a military officer? Do you work in the field of intelligence, diplomacy, science, high technology or deal with people who do this? Do you have information about the economy or senior leadership of the Russian Federation?
Contact us. Perhaps the people around you don’t want to hear the truth. We want.
Watch the video for instructions on how to securely contact us through our hidden Tor site.
And if you’re a Russian who does get in touch, the CIA says:
Once you contact us, please be patient. We thank you for your courage. We carefully review the submitted documents to provide an appropriate response while ensuring your safety.
The CIA says it has several blue-check, verified accounts including on Telegram, Facebook and the site that shall not be named.
The CIA takes seriously the safety of people who come into contact with us. If possible, the CIA verified the authenticity of our social media posts using the official method of each platform. The official CIA Telegram channel (t.me/s/SecurelyContactingCIA) has a blue checkmark as of June 2023, and a link to it is indicated in the description of CIA publics (sic) on other social networks: Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Be wary of any channels that claim to represent the CIA. Check the official lists of our public pages. And don’t forget that scammers may use channel names that are very similar in spelling to official CIA websites.
The CIA’s description also directs to another Youtube video published last year, which provides step-by-step instructions in Russian on how to use Tor to get in touch with them.
