European intelligence services just signed up on social media. An analysis of secret services and social media platforms

Abstract

"In the last decade a large number of public institutions, including intelligence services, make extensive use of social media to communicate with citizens. Much scholarly attention is paid to the benefits of online communication and the way governmental institutions presents themselves online. However, we know little about intelligence services and their presence on social media. This paper addresses this gap in literature and analyzes what kind of social networks European intelligence services prefer. The article is based on quantitative research of the social platforms used by the intelligence services of all 27 European Union Member States. The findings indicate that intelligence services are present in the social media environment to a different extent and the social platforms they choose to use are different. Keywords: intelligence services, social media, European Union."