The CIA has stepped up recruitment of Chinese nationals holding classified information following the disruption of a U.S. espionage network in the People\u2019s Republic of China by Chinese state security and intelligence services. A major blow to American spy activities in China was inflicted between 2010 and 2012, when Chinese counterintelligence arrested roughly 30 CIA assets.<\/p>\n
One method for reestablishing access to sensitive intelligence has been the CIA\u2019s placement of Chinese-language appeals on internet platforms \u2013 including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Telegram, and X \u2013 urging PRC citizens to initiate confidential cooperation with the Agency via Tor, a closed CIA-monitored service promoted as a secure channel for contact. On February 14, 2026, for instance, the CIA posted a video on its YouTube channel aimed at Chinese military personnel, detailing how to reach the Agency, including through the dark web and VPN tools. The video also underscores the need to make contact from a third country after leaving mainland China and provides instructions for installing the Tor browser.<\/p>\n
This represents the third instance in which the CIA has used YouTube to solicit sensitive information from Chinese citizens. The first two appeals, released on May 1, 2025, targeted civilian officials of the PRC. Cited incentives for cooperation include corruption within the PRC\u2019s party-state bureaucracy, the dismissal of capable officials, and the aspiration to help redirect the country\u2019s political course while improving family welfare.<\/p>\n
The CIA\u2019s current focus on Chinese military personnel stems from two factors. First, the messaging is designed to resonate with officers potentially discontented with recent leadership changes in the People\u2019s Liberation Army and the consequent constraints on career progression. Second, the Agency\u2019s prior recruitment campaigns targeting Chinese civilian officials \u2013 including public appeals for confidential cooperation, particularly among those concerned about exposure in corruption investigations \u2013 likely produced tangible results, leading the CIA to replicate the tactic in pursuit of assets within the People\u2019s Liberation Army.<\/p>\n
Similar recruitment videos, produced in native languages and calling for cooperation, are also disseminated by the CIA targeting citizens of Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and other countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The CIA has stepped up recruitment of Chinese nationals holding classified information following the disruption of a U.S. espionage network in the People\u2019s Republic of China by Chinese state security and intelligence services. A major blow to American spy activities in China was inflicted between 2010 and 2012, when Chinese counterintelligence arrested roughly 30 CIA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[162,4054,4055,225,4056,4057,4058,4053,63,2393,60],"class_list":["post-3097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-facts","tag-cia","tag-darknet-2","tag-deepweb","tag-facebook","tag-instagram","tag-linkedln","tag-telegram","tag-darknet","tag-kitaj","tag-noak","tag-ssha"],"yoast_head":"\n