It’s 2016, right after the presidential election.
The U.S. intelligence community is investigating whether Russia tampered with our election system.
We need to determine how and to what extent, so we can prevent it from happening again.
You are required to attend a CIA meeting to discuss operational next steps.
You walk down to the basement of an unassuming building in Virginia. An armed guard outside the room confiscates your phone, pats you down, and types in a password onto the panel beside the door.
You’ve been invited to a spy meeting.
What could go wrong?
Around the table sit inconspicuous middle-age CIA operatives, and a boss-looking figure in a suit at the head of the table. The Director of the CIA is on secure videoconference displayed on the wall. The meeting begins.
First order of business. Options for detecting Russian involvement:
- [[Romeo operation]]
- [[Blackmail for homosexuality]]
- [[Feeding a Drug Habit]]
- [[Bogus websites and chatrooms]]Per human intelligence, we know that a high-level female Russian official is recently widowed and lonely for company.
She is expected to attend a diplomatic party at the French embassy in Russia tomorrow night.
Do we want an American asset to attend the party and attempt to seduce her in order to gain her confidence and/or gain access to her private residence?
[[Yes]]
[[No]]
Homosexuality is widely disapproved of by most Russians and is often discriminated against.
Violent hate crimes have been carried out against LGBTQ+ individuals in Russia, and there is a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the government.
You find out that a Russian official who may have access to matters concerning the interference into the election is gay, and he comes from a very conservative family.
If outed, he would likely be cast out from his family and lose his job.
Would you approve an operation involving blackmail against homosexuality?
[[Yes->black]]
[[No->white]]Human intelligence on the ground reports that a Russian agent with possible information about the 2016 election is addicted to heroin.
Illicit drug use is a major problem in Russia, but there has recently been a crackdown on the importation of drugs into Moscow.
The agent’s trusted drug dealer was recently arrested, and if the government found out about the agent's drug problem, he would immediately be fired and arrested as well.
CIA analysts explain that if an American agent promised to provide him heroin in exchange for collecting information about election interference, the Russian agent would likely comply.
The operation would take about 1 month, with a heroin and information “drop” about once a week.
Do you want to sign off on this operation?
[[Yes->pink]]
[[No->orange]]In the past, the U.S. has set up fabricated websites and chatrooms to attract potential terrorists or criminals.
Many terrorists and criminals use anonymous online chatrooms to communicate with each other, often in code.
When the U.S. fabricates a website, they often post propaganda or ideas that terrorists would be attracted to in order to make the website seems legitimate.
They can also build the website so that it appears anonymous, but so that the U.S. can track the user’s IP address.
Intelligence shows that many hackers who could have been involved in the election tampering of 2016 communicate use chatrooms.
Should the CIA set up a fake chatroom, complete with ideas and discussion to attract criminals, in order to potentially track these people?
[[Yes->y]]
[[No->n]]The operative attends the party.
All goes according to plan, and the Russian official invites the American operative to her residence for a drink.
The operative successfully seduces the Russian official, but she has no access to any intelligence involving Russian interference in the election.
Was the operation worth it?
[[Yes->face]]
[[No->halls]]You do not exploit a widow or compromised an American operative’s sexuality.
However, when the investigations continue, you later find out that the Russian official had access to information regarding the interference in the election.
Would you change your decision?
[[Yes->america]]
[[No->russia]]The Russian official you decide to exploit is left heatbroken when she realizes that her "boyfriend" is actually a CIA operative.
She can no longer trust anyone and lives a solitary life.
The CIA operative who was the agent in the Romeo operation is scarred from the experience, as he had begun to develop feelings for the woman too, and left her feeling used.
You exploited a widow and compromised an American operative’s sexuality for some gain.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]The American agent involved in the Romeo operation becomes the Russian official's "boyfriend" for 3 months while gathering information on her.
His feelings get involved, and he has to be pulled off the op.
You exploited a widow and compromised an American operative’s sexuality for some gain.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]You exploited a widow and used an American operative’s sexuality for no gain.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]You exploited a widow and used an American operative’s sexuality for no gain.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]An American operative from the embassy in Russia approaches the Russian official at a coffee shop.
He states the demands: information on Russian interference in the election, or the outing of his homosexuality.
The official agrees, and provides a few pieces of intelligence on the matter.
It is not enough for a definitive case, but it helps the investigation.
Do you regret your decision?
[[Yes->brown]]
[[No->yellow]]You decided that it was not acceptable to dangle a man’s homosexuality for information.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]Although the operation was moderately successful, it only worked because the threat of outing him as homosexual was real.
You would have to be willing to carry out the threat.
Additionally, because he was coerced into providing information, he could have withheld vital information from the U.S., while an operation that involved positive incentives may have provided more information.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]Although the operation was moderately successful, it only worked because the threat of outing him as homosexual was real.
You would have to be willing to carry out the threat.
Additionally, because he was coerced into providing information, he could have withheld vital information from the U.S., while an operation that involved positive incentives may have provided more information.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]For the first two weeks, everything goes according to plan, and you receive bits of information regarding election interference.
When the American agent goes to meet the Russian for the third time, he never shows.
It is later reported that he died from a heroin overdose.
Do you regret your decision?
[[Yes->red]]
[[No->purple]]The Russian agent did have access to information that could have helped the investigation into election interference.
However, he died two weeks later after overdosing on unsafe street drugs.
Do you regret your decision?
[[Yes->wew]]
[[No->woop]]The Russian likely would have damaged himself getting drugs from more unsafe places on the street, and could have been killed anyway.
However, his death is still because of U.S. provided drugs.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]The Russian likely would have damaged himself getting drugs from more unsafe places on the street, and could have been killed anyway.
However, his death is still because of U.S. provided drugs.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]His death would have been because of U.S. provided drugs, but you would have gained information.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]His death would have been because of U.S. provided drugs, but you would have gained information.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]The website is set up successfully, and attracts hackers.
You must keep the site up for about 3 months to leave enough time for gathering information and attracting more criminals to the platform.
In that time, the website allows criminals to organize drug deals, human trafficking routes, and arms deals.
However, you cannot track these people because it would tip off the hackers you want to attract.
After 3 months, there is no chatter about the 2016 election, so the CIA shuts down the site.
Do you regret your decision?
[[Yes->up]]
[[No->down]]The CIA sponsored website would have allowed drug deals, human trafficking, and arms deals to occur, harming thousands of lives.
They likely would have found another platform to plan these criminal outcomes. However, in this case, the CIA was in a position to stop them and did not.
Your refusal to set up this website most likely would not have prevented these acts from happening, but it did stop the CIA from being responsible for not acting. The CIA sponsored website allowed drug deals, human trafficking, and arms deals to occur, harming thousands of lives.
They likely would have found another platform to plan these criminal outcomes.
However, in this case, the CIA was in a position to stop them and did not.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]]The CIA sponsored website allowed drug deals, human trafficking, and arms deals to occur, harming thousands of lives.
They likely would have found another platform to plan these criminal outcomes.
However, in this case, the CIA was in a position to stop them and did not.
[[Go back to other options->Introduction]]
[[End the meeting->After the meeting]](live:1s)[
(set: $helloTimer to $helloTimer + 1)
(if: $helloTimer is 3 or $helloTimer > 3)[Your first spy meeting ends. They usher you out of the room and return your phone.]
(if: $helloTimer is 8 or $helloTimer > 8)[In this whirlwind of a day, deciding on what actions are right or wrong in the name of freedom and democracy, you take a step back. Why did this matter?]
(if: $helloTimer is 13 or $helloTimer > 13)[Who are you to effectively play "God" in that basement room, deciding if one life or one sacrifice means more than another?]
(if: $helloTimer is 18 or $helloTimer > 18)[Did you approach these problems practically, morally, or both? Would you do anything to keep American safe?]
(if: $helloTimer is 23 or $helloTimer > 23)[If you answered yes, does that very idea violate American values? These incidences of foreign interference or violence will continue.]
(if: $helloTimer is 28 or $helloTimer > 28)[How should the decisions on counteracting them be made?]
(if: $helloTimer is 32 or $helloTimer > 32)[[Restart->Introduction]]
(if: $helloTimer is 33)[(stop:)]]