Appeal to government officials: CIA asks Russians to share information on the dark web
Russians can now send critical information about the Ukraine war to the CIA via Darknet. The secret service published instructions in Russian on various platforms.
The US secret service CIA has encouraged Russians who want to anonymously pass on information in connection with the war of aggression against Ukraine to contact them via the dark web. The CIA published instructions on YouTube and other online platforms on Monday, including how to use secure virtual private networks (VPN) and browsers.
The New York Times wrote that the secret services are probably primarily interested in Russian government officials with access to classified information.
“We are providing instructions in Russian on how to safely contact the CIA – through our dark web site or a reputable VPN – for those who feel compelled to contact us about the Russian government’s unjust war,” the newspaper quoted as saying Newspaper CIA spokeswoman Susan Miller. It is the first time that the authority has published instructions in Russian.
Russia blocks online platforms – but they can be reached via VPN
Russia blocks some Western online platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, but YouTube has so far been accessible in the country without going through a VPN service.
A VPN can bring the user to the Internet via another country – thus overriding local content restrictions in their actual location.
The Darknet is a network within the Internet that can only be accessed with special software and is intended to offer extensive anonymity. It is used, for example, by activists in authoritarian countries – but also by criminals for illegal business.
According to the newspaper, the CIA has had problems with covert communications in the past: both the Iranians and the Chinese have penetrated the agency’s secret system. In principle, it is also possible to track someone down on the dark web, but this would require an enormous amount of resources.
