Various internal Twitter documents released publicly over the past few months have revealed a relationship between federal government entities and Big Tech that critics believe is too close for comfort.
Now, the National Security Agency is apparently interested in an even cozier connection. Reports indicate that the agency is in the process of hiring a large number of new spies and, according to one top NSA strategist, wants to focus on former employees of tech giants who lost their jobs in recent layoffs.
“NSA started reaching out through LinkedIn, through some of our career boards, specifically sending messages to people that we thought might be linked to some companies that either were in the news saying they were going to lay off or were predicted to be laid off,” said Christine Parker.
She said that the purpose of this outreach was to “kind of let them know that we’re here and that we have this robust, ongoing hiring program.”
As for what the NSA is planning to do with a new influx of spies, agency insiders did not provide much detail — but another agency executive indicated that the agency wants to add some 3,000 individuals to its workforce.
“We certainly offer stability, and that’s what’s really kind of front of mind for a lot of people these days in the wake of these layoffs,” said Molly Moore. “But we offer amazing missions, things that people can’t do in private-sector companies for the most part. This is not just a job; it’s a mission.”
While this hiring spree highlights a funnel from Silicon Valley to the federal government, many critics have lamented that the process often plays out in the other direction.
BREAKING: Trump releases new statement slamming the FBI and other agencies for colluding with big tech to censor Americans and violating our first amendment rights. pic.twitter.com/oHowsVo01Y
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 11, 2023
According to a report published last month, Just the News found that more than 200 former employees of federal agencies including the NSA, CIA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security have since landed jobs as tech firm executives — primarily in positions ostensibly focused on combating “misinformation.”
As Heritage Foundation research fellow Kara Frederick wrote last year, the pipeline from the intelligence community to Big Tech raises a number of alarms, asserting: “Unfortunately, the United States is no longer immune to this impulse to restrict individual liberties through tech.”
