The CIA is giving Russians who oppose the Ukrainian invasion a secure way to contact U.S. intelligence by using the dark web.
The agency began a new push on Monday to publicize its existence on an area of the internet that users can only visit by using specialized software. To access the CIA’s darknet site, they have to use the Tor browser, which has additional security protections that are not available in standard web browsers.
Instructions on visiting the darknet site emerged on the various CIA social media accounts Monday in English and Russian. This information is meant to be shared by Russians residing outside of Russia with their contacts back home.
“We are providing Russian-language instructions on how to safely contact CIA — via our Dark Web site or a reputable VPN — for those who feel compelled to reach us because of the Russian government’s unjust war,” a CIA official told CBS News.
The CIA has operated a dark website since 2019 and can only be accessed via the Tor (“the onion router”) browser. On the Tor browser, internet communication is routed through third-party intermediaries known as “onion routes” to hide a user’s identity and location, and cookies and several other methods of tracking the average internet user are rendered useless.
No form of communication is 100% secure at all times, but intelligence professionals claim that a possible tipster will be less vulnerable to Russian snooping when they use the darknet.
Though the Kremlin’s “special military operation” appears to have widespread backing in Russia, observers who have followed the country for a long time are concerned that Putin’s handling of the conflict may drive away influential figures who disagree with him.
Despite their vast technological capabilities, Western intelligence services must still rely on human sources to gain insight into Russia’s internal realities.
“Our global mission demands that individuals can contact us securely from anywhere,” the CIA official said, per CBS.
Another CIA official, speaking with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said, “there are concerned Russians who are desperately trying to reach CIA.”
“It’s not safe to directly engage Americans physically or virtually (in Russia),” the official told AP. “For those people that want to engage with us securely, this is the way to do it.”
Tor was created in 2006 with support from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. It has been run by a nonprofit ever since.
Dissidents of authoritarian governments and people looking to circumvent obstacles like firewalls or oversight from authorities have long used the browser. Essentially anyone seeking extra privacy could use the browser, which criminals have exploited in the past.
Bringing awareness to the darknet site also publicizes that the CIA cares about the safety of potential tipsters, said Mark Kelton, former CIA chief of counterintelligence.
“When people decide to reach out, they’re very well aware of what they’re doing and what the risks are,” Kelton said. “The issue here is to reassure them that on the other end, there are people concerned with protecting them.