Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Tracking & Law Enforcement

Britain’s GCHQ Spies Are on Twitter, Officially

GCHQ, Britain’s secret eavesdropping agency, joined Twitter on Monday, emerging from the shadows with a simple message of “Hello, world.”

The cyber-intelligence listening post became the first of the country’s spy agencies to join the online social networking service.

GCHQ, Britain’s secret eavesdropping agency, joined Twitter on Monday, emerging from the shadows with a simple message of “Hello, world.”

The cyber-intelligence listening post became the first of the country’s spy agencies to join the online social networking service.

The Government Communications Headquarters has previously kept itself to itself but is moving towards greater transparency following revelations by fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who claimed GCHQ was conducting bulk data collection.

“It’s a big step for the organisation as we become more open about the work we do to keep Britain safe,” said an unnamed GCHQ spokesman.

“We want GCHQ to be more accessible and to help the public understand more about our work.

“We also want to reach out to the technical community and add our voice to social media conversations about technology”, along with maths and cyber security.

The Twitter account will be used to highlight events, publications, blogs and opinion pieces.

“Hello, world” was chosen as the first tweet as it is often the first thing computer whizzes learn to write in coding programmes.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

GCHQ is based in a giant, ring-shaped building nicknamed “the doughnut” in the spa town of Cheltenham in southwest England.

Among the few dozen Twitter accounts being openly followed by GCHQ was the official James Bond one, along with government, law enforcement and royal accounts.

The US Central Intelligence Agency wasted no time in welcoming GCHQ to Twitter.

The agency’s debut on the platform sparked some humorous tweets.

One Twitter user wrote: “‘GCHQ is now following you’ is going to really freak some people out.”

Another said: “GCHQ joins Twitter — as if they weren’t already here.”

Written By

AFP 2023

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Learn how the LOtL threat landscape has evolved, why traditional endpoint hardening methods fall short, and how adaptive, user-aware approaches can reduce risk.

Watch Now

Join the summit to explore critical threats to public cloud infrastructure, APIs, and identity systems through discussions, case studies, and insights into emerging technologies like AI and LLMs.

Register

People on the Move

Jason Hogg has been named Executive Chairman of CYPFER.

HUB Cyber Security has appointed former PayPal and American Express executive Paul Parisi as its Global Chief Revenue Officer.

Cloud security startup Upwind has appointed Rinki Sethi as Chief Security Officer.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.