Get your James Bond style profile pics at the ready - MI6 has started a recruitment drive on Facebook that could see users of the popular social networking site don their spy glasses as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) grabs new members of staff.The SIS has decided to attempt recruiting its next generation of spies via targeted ads aiming at graduates, people bored at work and those looking for a chance to obtain a career in world events. The adverts pop up on Facebook users' accounts and, so far, have proven quite popular.
MI6 said that it wants new agents to "reflect the society" they will serve, hence recruitment through a social networking site. The move just goes to show how much even the most notoriously covert firms can change their ways in accordance with the times. Everybody is familiar with previous notions of secret service recruitment - that Oxbridge tap on the shoulder and ambiguous conversation about the offer to work for your country's security - which Facebook seems to be quite the opposite of.
A website for users to stay in touch with friends and family, Facebook could be said to be anything but covert. Most user accounts include photographs, educational background, current employment details and links to the profiles of the user's friends. Given MI6's desire for clandestine agents, surely Facebook isn't the best place to go around looking for people who can keep a secret - especially those insisting on updating friends with their exploits every few hours.
As long as the secret service doesn't expand its search to, say, Twitter - imagine the Tweet updates - the recruitment drive could go well. After all, the volume of people on Facebook and other social networking sites - not all of whom are as narcissistic as others - could certainly see an expansion of MI6's field enough to find those individuals worthy of the job.
If any of your Facebook friends delete their accounts shortly after receiving a new job, well, you'll know.
