A Source from the Secretive: The CIA World Factbook

Knowledge is nothing if it cannot be accessed. There is a question, though, about what “deserves ” to be accessed. Certainly, in the scholarly world, most academics hope that their works are read and cited. On a government level, the issue becomes murkier—what is supposed to be shared, and what is supposed to be kept secret? Entire agencies—the NSA, for instance—work almost exclusively under the veil of confidentiality. One such organization is the CIA, which is generally considered to be one of America’s, if not the world’s, most clandestine organizations. So why, then, do they publish, both in print and online, the CIA World Factbook, a comprehensive examination of the politics and economics of every country on Earth? Mainly, for the use of government employees from sectors other than security or state who need quick and easy access to basic information. It is worth noting that the World Factbook is a tailored version of a document that can contain more classified information; depending on a person’s clearance, the version can have more or les