CIA agents are known for their stoicism and frank speech. Just the facts, ma’am. But the agency is now on Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), and apparently even the CIA—or at least whoever is running the agency’s Twitter account—has a sense of humor.
Here’s their very first tweet:
We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.
— CIA (@CIA) June 6, 2014
U.S. government loves to tweet
Perhaps it’s because we have a president who embraces Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) and technology, but the U.S. government has thoroughly embraced the micro-blogging platform. U.S. officials, especially those at NASA, just love to tweet. Now the CIA is getting in on the action, and it’s really not a bad idea either. People seem to spend more time looking at social media than actually watching the news on TV anymore, so if the government wants to get a warning out quickly, then Twitter is perhaps the best vehicle to do it with.
Interestingly enough, the CIA also created a Facebook page this week. The agency honored D-Day today for its first official post. The agency has also been adding to its already-existing YouTube and Flickr accounts. Also the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has its own blog—IC on the Record—hosted on Tumblr.
What will the CIA tweet about?
The CIA plans to post job listings, trivia from its World Factbook, pictures, and “reflections on intelligence history.” The agency could also include some live streams through its social networking accounts and apparently intends to take part in Throwback Thursday on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).
“By expanding to these platforms, CIA will be able to more directly engage with the public and provide information on CIA’s mission, history, and other developments,” said CIA Director John Brennan in a statement. “We have important insights to share, and we want to make sure that unclassified information about the Agency is more accessible to the American public that we serve, consistent with our national security mission.”
Ordinary Americans became irate when Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the National Security Agency’s digital spying programs, although the CIA never really took much heat from that. However, the agency could be looking for ways to emphasize its human element. The U.S. intelligence community as a whole is trying to recover its reputation in the wake of the Snowden incident.
