[Perspective] Why is the CIA Recruiting Chinese Spies through the Onion Network?

Viewpoints Presented in the Article Do Not Represent the Position of “WEB3+”

The Onion Network Seen Through CIA Recruitment

This month, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States released two videos in Simplified Chinese on YouTube: “Reasons for Choosing Collaboration: Creating a Better Vision” and “Reasons for Choosing Collaboration: Becoming the Master of Destiny.” These two videos are entirely in Simplified Chinese, urging Chinese civil servants who are disappointed with the current government situation or have moral struggles to regain control of their lives by becoming American intelligence informants.

However, the most striking aspect is that at the end of these two videos, a long string of a web address ending in “.onion” is displayed. This indicates that the CIA is officially encouraging Chinese spy candidates to contact them through the “Onion Network” (Tor). It raises questions as to why the Onion Network, often referred to as the dark web and frequently viewed as a place for illicit transactions, has become a recruitment channel openly promoted by the American intelligence agency.

What is the Onion Network?
The Onion Network (Tor, The Onion Router) is an anonymous network technology that protects users’ identities and movements through layers of encryption and servers operated by volunteers worldwide. When users connect, network traffic is encrypted layer by layer like an “onion” before being forwarded to the next node. Each node only knows the position of the previous and next node, making it impossible to track the source and destination entirely, effectively hiding the user’s IP address and browsing content. Although Tor is often associated with illegal activities, it is also an essential tool for journalists, human rights workers, and individuals who need to avoid state surveillance.

What are the benefits of using the Onion Network for the CIA?
The CIA uses the Tor network to recruit spies to ensure communication security and protect the personal identities of spy candidates. Through the anonymity provided by the Onion Network, spy candidates can effectively hide, avoiding being tracked by the intelligence units of the country they are in. Additionally, the CIA’s server location can be effectively concealed, significantly reducing the risk of identification and attacks. Especially in countries highly sensitive to online activities like China, Russia, or Iran, contacting through regular network channels could quickly expose the spy’s identity, while using Tor can effectively bypass these countries’ internet censorship systems. Furthermore, the secrecy of Tor allows the CIA more deniability in diplomatic or intelligence conflicts, avoiding direct associations with websites or online operations. By recruiting in this manner, the CIA can further test a target country’s detection and countermeasure capabilities regarding anonymous network technology and select suitable candidates with genuine risk identification abilities. Therefore, Tor is not only an essential recruitment tool for the CIA but also a vital strategy for ensuring the security of global intelligence operations and combating surveillance.

Taiwan and the Onion Network
For Taiwan, the Onion Network holds significant importance because Taiwan also has a high need for privacy, much like journalists and human rights workers who need to avoid surveillance by authoritarian states. For instance, in February of this year, the Open Culture Foundation hosted a technical workshop inviting experts from international organizations like Tor, Tails, and the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) to teach participants how to browse anonymously, detect internet censorship, and protect personal privacy through practical training. Roger Dingledine, co-founder of Tor, pointed out during the event that “in the current increasingly severe global internet surveillance, Tor is an indispensable tool in defending individual privacy.” This not only reflects the global importance placed on internet privacy and freedom of speech but also highlights the significance of the Onion Network in safeguarding human rights and combating surveillance by authoritarian regimes. It would be wise for the Taiwanese public to pay more attention to these privacy protection tools as they may be needed in the future. The CIA’s public use of the Onion Network to recruit spies also serves as a reminder that anonymous internet technology is not limited to dark purposes but is also a crucial tool for global digital freedom and even state-level infiltration operations.