( CNN ) -- They 're late to the party , but the spooks have finally joined Twitter . And -- who knew ? -- they have a sense of humor . At 1:49 pm ET on Friday , the Central Intelligence Agency sent its first-ever Twitter message , from a verified account with the simple handle of @ CIA . With characteristic secrecy , it said : `` We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet . '' The Internet immediately erupted with delight . Within two hours the message had been retweeted more than 85,000 times , the CIA had gained more than 105,000 followers , and the jokes were flowing faster than Claire Danes ' tears on `` Homeland . '' `` @ CIA how does it feel to be followed for once ? '' replied one Twitter user . Social media outreach does seem like an odd fit for a shadowy spy agency whose work is mostly classified . But the CIA , which also joined Facebook on Friday , is trying to brighten its public face . `` By expanding to these platforms , CIA will be able to more directly engage with the public and provide information on CIA 's mission , history , and other developments , '' said CIA Director John Brennan in a statement . `` We have important insights to share , and we want to make sure that unclassified information about the Agency is more accessible to the American public that we serve , consistent with our national security mission . '' The agency also promised to post `` the latest news , statements , and career information '' from the CIA , along with artifacts from the CIA 's museum , updates from its World Factbook and unclassified intelligence information . By launching officially on Facebook and Twitter , the CIA is expanding its limited online presence beyond its public website , Flickr and YouTube accounts . Compared to some rival government agencies , though , it 's got some catching up to do . The National Security Agency joined Twitter in 2009 , the FBI joined in 2008 and those early adopters at the State Department joined in 2007 .
The Central Intelligence Agency finally joins Twitter , Facebook . Its first Twitter message : `` We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet '' Within two hours the message had been retweeted more than 85,000 times .