This Star Wars website may have been run by the CIA
The iconic space-opera franchise is reported to have been the subject of a fan site covertly used by the Central Intelligence Agency.
The U.S.’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is reported to have run a former Star Wars fan site - StarWarsWeb.net - and secretly used the web page for its espionage operations.
The digital news outlet 404 Media ran a story in May on the findings of Ciro Santilli, a Brazilian security researcher who recently uncovered the alleged true purpose of the Star Wars site, which is thought to have been built in the 2000s.
“Looks like an ordinary Star Wars fan site...”
Below a screenshot of the website as it looked before its closure in the 2010s - complete with images of well-known characters from the sci-fi franchise - 404 Media’s Joseph Cox wrote: “This site looks like an ordinary Star Wars fan site from around 2010.
“But StarWarsWeb.net was actually a tool built by the Central Intelligence Agency to covertly communicate with its informants in other countries, according to [Santilli].”
As a number of reports have noted, internet users who try to visit StarWarsWeb.net today will find themselves being redirected to the CIA’s website.
“CIA absolutely had a Star Wars fan website”
Santilli, who has also laid out his findings in this blog and this YouTube video, says he used a series of online tools, including the internet archive Wayback Machine, to look into StarWarsWeb.net - and a host of other, similar websites that are believed to have been used by the CIA.
Speaking to 404 Media, the cybersecurity researcher Zach Edwards said: “We’re now about 15 years past when these websites were being actively used, yet new information continues to drip out year after year.
“The simplest way to put it - yes, the CIA absolutely had a Star Wars fan website with a secretly embedded communication system - and while I can’t account for everything included in the research from Ciro, his findings seem very sound.”
“Rudimentary news and hobby websites”
Reuters has previously discussed the CIA’s alleged use of messaging channels “hidden within rudimentary news and hobby websites where spies could go to connect" with the U.S.’s foreign intelligence service.
In a report in 2022, indeed, Reuters made reference to fan sites devoted to subjects such as Star Wars, albeit the news agency seemingly did not explicitly identify the website StarWarsWeb.net.
But Reuters’ article did more specifically reveal, for example, that the CIA is understood to have used a now-defunct Persian-language soccer site named Iraniangoals.com to communicate with a source in Iran.
In 2018, Yahoo! News also carried out significant reporting on the CIA’s alleged creation of apparently everyday websites for covert communication.
Related stories
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.