The NSA (yes, that NSA) has a Github account now

The National Security Agency is amongst the most secretive of the US’ intelligence agencies. It employs genius-level coders and mathematicians in order to break codes, gather information on adversaries, and defend the country against digital threats.

Unsurprisingly, the NSA has always to preferred to work in the dark. But ever since the Snowden leaks in 2013, the organization has gradually increased its public presence. A few years ago, it opened a Twitter account (in fact, it was the first profile Edward Snowden followed when he joined in 2015).

And now, it’s opened a Github account, and has shared several interesting code repositories under the NSA Technology Transfer Program (TTP). So far, it lists 32 different projects, although some of these are ‘coming soon.’ Many aren’t new, either, and have been available for some time. SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) for example, has been part of the Linux kernel for years.

I’m not surprised the NSA’s taken this move. For starters, there’s a long and proud tradition of technologies making their way from defense and intelligence environments to the general public. The internet is a brilliant example of that. And engaging with techies via Github is a great way to sanitize its image, and potentially recruit talent.

You can check out the NSA’s page here