Britain's new MI6 dark web portal to attract spies from around the world

London: A dark web portal launched on Friday will recruit spies from around the world for Britain using MI6's new secure messaging platform named "Silent Courier".

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the target is to recruit agents in Russia as well as other geographies by harnessing the anonymity of the dark web for the first time.

Instructions on how to access the portal will be publicly available on MI6's verified YouTube channel as the UK proactively reaches out to potential new agents in different parts of the world.

"As the world changes, and the threats we're facing multiply, we must ensure the UK is always one step ahead of our adversaries,” said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

"Our world-class intelligence agencies are at the coalface of this challenge, working behind the scenes to keep British people safe. Now we're bolstering their efforts with cutting-edge tech so MI6 can recruit new spies for the UK – in Russia and around the world," she said.

The Silent Courier platform will enable anyone, anywhere in the world with access to sensitive information relating to terrorism or hostile intelligence activity to securely contact the UK and offer their services.  MI6 has advised individuals accessing the new dark web portal to use trustworthy virtual private networks (VPNs) and devices not linked to themselves, to mitigate risks which may exist in some regions. 

The Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, is the UK's foreign intelligence service made popular in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the related Hollywood film franchise.

The FCDO said the new move to the dark web reflects a “generational uplift” in defence spending to enable the intelligence community to carry out its national security goals, defending the British way of life, keeping people safe and effectively competing with adversaries.

The announcement was made by the outgoing Chief of MI6, Sir Richard Moore, in Istanbul. He said the UK’s intelligence services are “critical to calibrating risk and informing decisions” in navigating threats from hostile actors – making platforms such as Silent Courier even more important in keeping the country safe.

"Today we're asking those with sensitive information on global instability, international terrorism or hostile state intelligence activity to contact MI6 securely online. Our virtual door is open to you," said the outgoing MI6 chief, commonly referred to as ‘C’.  In June, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Blaise Metreweli as the first female 'C' in the Security Service's 116-year history to take over from Moore.

The MI6 dark web portal builds on a similar approach taken by America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which published videos on social media channels to target potential Russian spies in 2023. The FCDO highlighted that US President Donald Trump's State Visit to the UK this week has further strengthened the bilateral defence and security relationship.

“Last week, a new partnership with Google Cloud means the UK and US can communicate securely, so the UK and our closest ally can outmatch hostile actors who seek to cause chaos for working people by disrupting their everyday lives, including trying to steal sensitive information and launching targeted cyber campaigns,” the FCDO said.