WASHINGTON (AP) — For a spy agency that likes to blend into the background, the CIA’s debut on Twitter
has revealed a covert sense of humor.
In a medium heralded for its snark, the Twittersphere gave high praise Friday for the intelligence
agency’s first tweet, under the handle (at)CIA.
“We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet,” posted (at)CIA. Within an hour it had
gained more than 67,000 followers.
At first, that raised a question: Was this really the Central Intelligence Agency? Since any number of
fake CIA twitter accounts have sprung up over the years, some caution was in order.
The agency quickly confirmed in a news release that it had, in fact, established a presence on both
Twitter and Facebook.
The CIA got its (at)CIA handle after filing a complaint with Twitter to wrest control from someone who
was using it to impersonate the agency, said CIA spokesman Todd Ebitz.
The agency’s tagline: “We are the nation’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot
accomplish and go where others cannot go.”
On both accounts, the CIA promised “photos, reflections on intelligence history, and fun facts from the
CIA World Factbook.”
It also said it would release “updates on CIA career postings and get the latest glimpse into CIA’s
Museum,” which is at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va., and not regularly open to the public.

By Friday afternoon, (at)CIA was following only 25 Twitter accounts, prompting jokes about how the spy
agency actually follows far more people around the world.
“The CIA has followed people for years,” tweeted Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani ambassador to the
U.S. “Now tweeple (sic) have a chance to follow (at)CIA.”
Some weren’t sure it was a good day for social media.
“People say Facebook got lame once your grandmother joined. don’t know what to think about (at)CIA
joining Twitter,” tweeted electronic privacy activist Parker Higgins ((at)xor).
A torrent of political commentary followed, such as a mock CIA tweet from journalist Hayes Brown
(?(at)HayesBrown): “Remember that time Teddy Roosevelt’s grandson helped us launch a coup in Iran?”
Better get used to it, (at)CIA.
WASHINGTON — For a spy agency that likes to blend into the background, the CIA’s debut on Twitter has
revealed a covert sense of humor.
In a medium heralded for its snark, the Twittersphere gave high praise Friday for the intelligence
agency’s first tweet, under the handle (at)CIA.
“We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet,” posted (at)CIA. Within an hour it had
gained more than 67,000 followers.
At first, that raised a question: Was this really the Central Intelligence Agency? Since any number of
fake CIA twitter accounts have sprung up over the years, some caution was in order.
The agency quickly confirmed in a news release that it had, in fact, established a presence on both
Twitter and Facebook.
The CIA got its (at)CIA handle after filing a complaint with Twitter to wrest control from someone who
was using it to impersonate the agency, said CIA spokesman Todd Ebitz.
The agency’s tagline: “We are the nation’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot
accomplish and go where others cannot go.”
On both accounts, the CIA promised “photos, reflections on intelligence history, and fun facts from the
CIA World Factbook.”
It also said it would release “updates on CIA career postings and get the latest glimpse into CIA’s
Museum,” which is at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va., and not regularly open to the public.

By Friday afternoon, (at)CIA was following only 25 Twitter accounts, prompting jokes about how the spy
agency actually follows far more people around the world.
“The CIA has followed people for years,” tweeted Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani ambassador to the
U.S. “Now tweeple (sic) have a chance to follow (at)CIA.”
Some weren’t sure it was a good day for social media.
“People say Facebook got lame once your grandmother joined. don’t know what to think about (at)CIA
joining Twitter,” tweeted electronic privacy activist Parker Higgins ((at)xor).
A torrent of political commentary followed, such as a mock CIA tweet from journalist Hayes Brown
(?(at)HayesBrown): “Remember that time Teddy Roosevelt’s grandson helped us launch a coup in Iran?”
Better get used to it, (at)CIA.