"The World Factbook": CIA unexpectedly closes an internet veteran

The CIA has taken “The World Factbook,” one of the oldest and most well-known sites on the internet, offline. This is according to a statement from the US foreign intelligence agency from yesterday, Wednesday. At the same time, all previous versions were also removed. If you click on a link that previously worked, you will now land on the farewell page. However, the old pages are still accessible via the Wayback Machine of the Internet Archive can still be accessed. The CIA has not provided a reason for the apparently unannounced step, only stating: “We hope you will remain curious about the world and find ways to discover it – on the ground or virtually.”

Older than Wikipedia and Google

The CIA's “World Factbook” has been around for over 60 years. In regularly updated editions, it summarizes basic information and statistical data for regions of the world and all countries. Initially, it was classified and intended for US government employees, but versions for the public have existed since the 1970s. The Factbook went online in 1994, making the data collection significantly older than Wikipedia, than Google, and than most of the internet offerings still accessible today – including heise online. It most recently included over 5000 public domain photos, many of them vacation pictures from CIA employees. According to the announcement, the Factbook will now be discontinued entirely, meaning the printed editions as well as the internet version.

The reasons for the closure of the fact collection can now only be speculated upon. Since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, US government agencies have had to implement drastic austerity measures in some cases. At the same time, it is unclear how frequently the Factbook has been used recently. However, in 2020, the responsible parties wrote that it continues to be an “indispensable resource for the US government, for universities, and for countless private individuals” who rely on a “timely and accurate reference source about the world we live in.” It is continuously being developed and is “an essential part of the CIA's heritage,” they stated at the time. This is now coming to an end after more than 60 years.

(mho)