Social media is a goldmine for intelligence agencies, the expert said, adding that today the vast majority of CIA-obtained information is accessed legally through the internet and social media.

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the fact that ordinary citizens often also end up sharing secret information apart from their own personal data on social networks, mostly without being aware of what they are doing. The dumping of information people share on the internet saves the secret services a lot of time, energy and money, Laszlo Foldi, a former intelligence officer, said.

„In the past, it took a long time to track down a person and it was very difficult to get access to certain sources. Processing was a slow, systematic process. At the moment, however, you only have to go on Facebook or any other social network and the person discloses information about themselves, which can be effectively utilised by a professional,” Mr Foldi said. The so-called social systems and their inventors created social media and online spaces for the transmission of information not only for the purpose of informing but also with secondary purposes, one of which is to collect information, which can then be processed and used to exert influence, the expert explained.

The services are constantly monitoring social networks, he added. Some of them have technical capabilities sufficient to access appropriate sources and information without leaving their office environment.

But the most important part of the intelligence services lies in the network and its power, the expert opines. „It’s not James Bonds running around the world, breaking into safes most of the time, although that can also happen. Their job primarily consists of recruiting and giving contacts agent status, to build the so-called network. The contacts must live and work in a pertinent position, job and under appropriate conditions that are relevant and useful to the intelligence service. So it is this unity, these different interconnected systems, that can work effectively.”

Today, more than 90 per cent of the information obtained by the CIA, the world’s largest intelligence agency, comes from so-called legal sources, mostly from the Internet, Mr Foldi pointed out. This speeds up the process of obtaining information, as it does not require covert action, but only the use of existing technology. Social networks also play a crucial role in investigating individuals, as people increasingly tend to post about more and more topics on social networks with full public accessibility, and so the secret services are also monitoring them.

The unlimited option of sharing uploads on social media also entails serious risks. Just think, if a civilian uploads a photo or video revealing the location, movements or arms deliveries of the Ukrainian forces, the information will be available to anyone. This makes the work of Russian intelligence agents rather easy. People who unknowingly upload secret information cannot be considered spies, as they were not driven by conscious intentions, but merely acted as a result of their own lack of knowledge, the ex-intelligence officer said. „The secret services call the information collected from such sources dark information, because the person providing the information is not aware that he is committing treason, that he is revealing state secrets and passing information into the hands of a foreign power,” Laszlo Foldi explained.

Recently, MI 6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service, released several pieces of information about the Russian president’s health, which subsequently turned out to be false. There is logic in the intelligence services deliberately releasing disinformation, and also when they obtain false information, Laszlo Foldi said.

„There are so-called double agents, when the same individual is recruited by the two opposing sides. In such scenarios, the agent provides the other service with information that is misleading or disinformation. This is a realistic potentiality in the world of the secret services once an agent manages to integrate into the the rival service. At the same time, there are so-called deliberate influence operations when the public opinion is ‘manipulated’ over an issue so that people believe what the agency wants them to and never become aware of the facts that run contrary to the agency’s interests,” the former secret services officer added.

As an example, the expert referred to the missile that recently crashed in Poland. As soon as the country was hit, information appeared that Russia had fired on Poland. The intention was to further undermine the remaining pro-Russian sympathies of societies, the world and the public eye. Another was to further strengthen the existing narrative that Russians are aggressors, who attacked not only Ukraine, but have now attacked NATO by attacking Poland.

The Hungarian Defence Forces also warned about the responsible use of social media – where else but on Facebook.

Hungary’s Defence Ministry appealed to the public urging people to not share via social media, phone or email any information they may know about Hungarian troops and troop movements within the country.