The CIA World Factbook, the Access to Information Crisis, and the U.S. Role in the World
On February 4, 2026, the CIA posted on their website “Spotlighting the World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell.” The short story lauded the World Factbook as “[o]ne of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications” and said it “appealed to researchers, news organizations, teachers, students, and international travelers.”[1] Nothing in the story explained why the CIA was ending the publication, nor did it explain why the CIA removed all entries from the Factbook’s website. A former government intelligence officer, speaking to the New York Times about the end of the Factbook, stated that “[t]he intelligence community shouldn’t be your librarian” and recognized that when the Factbook was first developed “there was no such thing as the internet.” They then stated “[n]ow it’s like, what’s the point?”. Though the internet has expanded access to the type of information compiled in the Factbook, it is (or sadly was) still relevant as a free source of information about other countries and demonstrated positive U.S. engagement with the rest of the world. The ending and removal of the CIA Factbook is a continuation of the current administration’s attacks on information access[2] as well as the administration’s transformation of U.S. foreign engagement.