The CIA Has Taken To Twitter In A Big Way

Adam Epstein, Quartz: That time the CIA trolled everyone with a twistedly genius Twitter strategy

OH MY GOSH WE'RE BEING HACKED

In January, the CIA sent out this tweet to its hundreds of thousands of followers:

Yes, that’s the US Central Intelligence Agency—one of the most powerful government organizations in the world—sending a tweet, with no other context, in Russian. The tweet was made just days after the US CENTCOM Twitter account was hacked by alleged ISIL sympathizers. Naturally, a lot of people thought the CIA had just been hacked by the Russians.

That was the response the agency was hoping for.

Carolyn Reams, a web strategist for the CIA who operates its Twitter account, was interviewed on a DigitalGov podcast on Aug. 25 about her work coordinating the agency’s social media presence. The agency has been using social media to present a friendlier face as public trust in government institutions has plummeted in recent years.

WNU Editor: The CIA's Twitter feed is here.