US EditionCIA ends publication of its popular World Factbook reference tool
The CIA ends a 60-year run of the World Factbook, a free resource used by millions globally, following a directive to focus on core agency missions.
- On Wednesday, the US Central Intelligence Agency announced it will cease publishing the World Factbook, saying the publication had `sunset` and urging readers to 'stay curious about the world and find ways to explore it & in person or virtually'.
- The Factbook later moved into the public domain when an unclassified edition was released and a digital public‑domain version followed, expanding access.
- After going online in 1997, the Factbook attracted journalists, academics and students, drawing millions of visits annually, while other federal agencies relied on its updated country statistics.
- The agency gave no official reason, and the shutdown follows CIA Director John Ratcliffe's vow to end non-core programs amid White House staffing cuts including about 1,200 planned job cuts.
- The announcement posted with a site timestamp and the CIA has been contacted for comment, marking this as a breaking development.
107 Articles
107 Articles
CIA terminates its World Factbook
After decades of serving as a reliable, authoritative public repository of basic information about countries, their economies, and their people, The World Factbook disappeared from the internet on February 4 with no advance notice.
The CIA, the U.S. Information Agency, announced the suspension of its annual report on the World Factbook, a very popular reference work that has been disseminated without delay for more than 60...
CIA shuttering World Factbook reference tool
The CIA shut down its World Factbook resource Wednesday, after it spent more than six decades in existence. The agency announced on its website that the World Factbook “has sunset” without providing further explanation. The Hill has reached out to the CIA for clarification. The Factbook first launched as the classified National Basic Intelligence Factbook…
CIA Pulls Publication of Public Resource
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced that it will no longer publish a public intelligence resource. The resource, called The World Factbook, garnered millions of views each year.” The original classified publication, titled The National Basic Intelligence Factbook, launched in 1962,” the CIA said in an announcement on the development. “The first unclassified companion version was issued in 1971. A decade later it was renamed The World…
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