A former CIA chief of disguise shows off a five-second mask (2020) [video](atlasobscura.com)

73 pointsby choultvor 5 Jahren18 comments

A former CIA chief of disguise shows off a five-second mask (2020) [video]

https://www.atlasobscura.com/videos/cia-chief-of-disguise-hollywood-mask

18 comments

blamazonvor 5 Jahren

I was really hoping to see someone put on the mask but the one featured in the video was made with one person’s facial topography in mind and so I assume they can’t just throw it on anyone.

chunkyfunkyvor 5 Jahren

Was very disappointed too, I fully expected her to pull off a mask at the end and it would be Tom Cruise underneath :(

me_me_mevor 5 Jahren

Especially since she called it 5 sec mask. It feels like exaggeration but who knows for sure.

I don't think I ever seen it is a movie, but you could theoretically put it on turning a corner do 180 and evade someone.

danielyaa5vor 5 Jahren

It’s be funny if everyone totally knew it was a mask, but it was the equivalent of Halloween in Russia so nobody said anything

WaxProlixvor 5 Jahren

Yeah, this feels like a very modern day exposé- lots of talking about a thing, some buried lede action, and eventually no payoff. Was this video created by a procedural SEO algorithm with a novel neural net approach? There's basically none of the promised content here.

SV_BubbleTimevor 5 Jahren

> Was this video created by a procedural SEO algorithm with a novel neural net approach?

I’m leaning towards CIA PR campaign.

nyxvor 5 Jahren

If you liked this, WIRED has done several videos with Jonna Mendez:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JASUsVY5YJ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUqeBMP8nEg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD841NmJbjM

culturestatevor 5 Jahren

The True Spies podcast also did an interesting episode with her: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-spies-espionage-i...

kneelvor 5 Jahren

A Former CIA Chief of Disguise TALKS About a Five-Second Mask

saltedonionvor 5 Jahren

It’s a recruitment video

textechvor 5 Jahren

Reminded me of the line from one of the MI movies. "CIA is like Halloween, a bunch of grown men in rubber masks playing trick or treat".

TMWNNvor 5 Jahren

Which of course is ridiculous, given how IMF agents are constantly donning and removing their own rubber masks!

mhh__vor 5 Jahren

Alternatively, the phrase (as said by the NRO) "Doing God's work with other people's money" is quite apt.

Clampowervor 5 Jahren

This might be the most annoying cookie notice I’ve ever seen. I can’t reject cookies on the page, have to click through to another page, where I cannot even find the option to do so.

Shame on you Atlas Obscura, this should not even be legal. Does anybody know if this is in line with GDPR?

dangvor 5 Jahren

Some past threads:

How the CIA Trains Spies to Hide in Plain Sight - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18690409 - Dec 2018 (76 comments)

Former CIA Chief of Disguise Explains How Spies Use Disguises [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18291780 - Oct 2018 (82 comments)

I thought I remembered others...

strictneinvor 5 Jahren

If you're interested in this and a lot more disguises and trickery, the book you're looking for is "The Moscow Rules".

https://www.amazon.com/Moscow-Rules-Secret-Tactics-America/d...

practicalpantsvor 5 Jahren

Not sure disclosing all this helps their image, if people now understand they're capable of faking any sort of public appearance of anyone they need to.

rangunavor 5 Jahren

I can't reject cookies on this page?