CIA Jumps Into Social Media Fun, Joins Twitter

Lookout social media, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is now active on Twitter.

CIA officials hope to use social media to engage directly with the public, sharing unclassified information and public service announcements.  Images and videos of CIA-related material, including artifacts in its secretive museum, will also be shared – a rare glimpse inside of the museum, which isn’t open to the public.

In the initial first two hours the CIA was on Twitter, its first tweet was retweeted more than 85,000 times.  There were 105,000 instant followers, and the U.S. intelligence agency now has more than 622,000 followers.  The spy agency recently joined Facebook and already has active Flickr and YouTube accounts.

“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 John Brennan, CIA Director, in a press statement.

An impersonator had the @CIA handle, and the U.S. government agency had to file an impersonation complaint with Twitter, which is why it took longer to secure the Twitter handle.

Embracing social media can be a great communications tool, though the CIA Twitter account could become a popular target for hackers trying to compromise the account.  In addition, the CIA following – and retweeting – other government branches will give followers a glimpse into other government agencies and the messages they post.

Thank you Forbes for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of Bluntpost.