CIA.gov: Is this site a joke?
No, seriously, is it? I honestly can’t tell if the www.cia.gov site is for real. I first went there following a link from The Big Noob to look at one of the worst logo designs I have ever seen. Then I poked around the site a bit to see if it was a serious thing (I mean, the domain name is cia.gov – it sounds real!) and I found the following gems:
- The Kids’ Page – equipped with an animated “spy” with a ringing shoephone.
- The Iraqi Rewards Program – I tried to read about it, but it seems like the CIA is trying to keep this program a secret.
- The CIA movie – Click “play movie” on the home page to see this warm and fuzzy video about “clandestine services.”
- On the contact us page – you’ll find this bit: “Solicitations to transfer large sums of money to your bank account: If you receive a solicitation to transfer a large amount of money from an African nation to your bank account in exchange for a payment of millions of dollars, go to the US Secret Service Web site for information about the Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud or “4-1-9″ Fraud scheme.”
This site is the warmer, kinder U.S. spy service. Or else it’s a hoax.
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November 8th, 2007 at 11:50 am
By sharp contrast, look at the CIA World Factbook. (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html) It is incredibly well organized, has tons of useful information on every country, and doesn’t try to overextend itself to be “useful”.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Greg,
Thanks for the useful link – I’m glad to see that there is a part of the http://www.CIA.gov site that is useful, informative and written with a tone that makes it feel “real.” – Melissa
May 27th, 2008 at 1:15 am
CIA.gov looks okay to me!