MI6 launches Silent Courier to gather information via the dark web: NPR

The United Kingdom has a new way for citizens to share secrets with the country’s foreign intelligence services.

It’s called Silent Courier and is advertised online.

The service is available on the dark web and allows potential spies to securely share classified information with the British secret service – better known as MI6. The British Foreign Office, which oversees MI6, says the portal is being launched as the UK attempts to recruit “potential new agents in Russia and around the world”.

This makes sense to Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 intelligence officer. He told NPR that Silent Courier could be used by foreign officials who otherwise wouldn’t be able to meet with an MI6 official or sneak into a British embassy.

“MI6 has always had the ability to do what we call walk-ins. Traditionally it has been up to embassies,” he said. “Sometimes we got information about gold dust from defectors and the like.”

Silent Courier is a less risky option, Dunn believes.

“The ability for someone to think, ‘Thank God for that, I now have a mechanism to contact the organization, (when) for various reasons I couldn’t physically present my credentials,’ it allows for that possibility,” he added.

Dunn also thinks it could be useful in obtaining information about the Russian war in Ukraine from those involved in the conflict, especially if they are not specifically targeted by MI6.

“This is a complementary strategy that is underway and clearly reflects the nature of the world as it is now,” Dunn said.

MI6 is home to the fictional character James Bond, but future double agents don’t need to channel 007’s skills to use Silent Courier.

A promotional video on YouTube explains how to access the service. The introduction is given by Sir Richard Moore, who served as head of MI6 under the code name “C”. Moore recently retired, clearing the way for Blaise Metreweli, the first woman to lead the agency.

A security risk for the United States?

The ease with which people can contact MI6, even from the United States, has raised concerns among intelligence veterans.

“I hope there has been full coordination between the United Kingdom and the United States,” said Frank Figliuzzi, former deputy director of the FBI for counterintelligence, the agency responsible for stopping spies operating in the United States.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the British do this as widely as they seem to be doing here, certainly using social media platforms and casting a wide net in their (intelligence) collection efforts,” Figliuzzi told NPR.

Both countries are members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, meaning information collected via Silent Courier could, in theory, be shared with Washington. Contacted by NPR for comment, the British Foreign Office declined to comment specifically, but added that “the United States is our closest ally and we will continue to cooperate closely on defense, intelligence and security issues.”

The fact that MI6 instructional videos are accessible in the United States raises another problem, Figliuzzi said.

“This question of coordination becomes even more interesting if indeed someone in the United States decides ‘I think I’d rather deal with the British than the Americans,’ for whatever reason, political or otherwise.”

Figliuzzi speculated that changes in Washington could prompt this choice.

“Did the British say, ‘look, it’s time for us to take over there,'” he said. “Whether the British would tell us that someone within our borders chose to deal with them, I hope that is the case. But in the dark world of cover-up and dagger work, we may never know, let alone in the short term.”

With Silent Courier, MI6 may not need to send James Bond to deal with it.

The radio version of this story was edited by Ashley Westerman and the digital version was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.