Twitter spies

Canada’s spy agency is now on Twitter. Is anyone surprised by that revelation?

Canada’s spy agency is now on Twitter. Is anyone surprised by that revelation? Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press via AP

While the intelligence services of their southern neighbour are well-known, Canada’s own surveillance network has remained more low-key, in keeping with the country’s own easy-going image. But on Wednesday, the agency broke cover with its first ever tweet: “Yes, we’re on Twitter. Now it’s your turn to follow us.”

Canada’s spies don’t get much publicity – the closest to Hollywood glamour came in a bit part for a Canadian intelligence officer in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace – but the country ought to have very good spies, drawn from a multilingual, multicultural society used to people abroad thinking they’re someone else (“No, I’m not American”).

Plus, of course, being low-key means they don’t see you coming. Bad guys used to avoiding CIA drones or charming MI5 operatives are likely to be less adept at avoiding flying ice hockey pucks.