Wired News’ Chaddus Bruce has this piece about how the CIA is using Facebook to pitch recruits. In December, the spook agency put up a page (login required) on the popular social networking site which features this almost-funny but serious YouTube video ad seeking recruits for its National Clandestine Service (NCS).

Unlike other arms of the government, the CIA is exempt from federal regulations regarding recruitment and hiring and is apparently the only government agency to go the social networking route. Although a smart move on the part of the CIA and NCS, this development is kind of…disquieting. For one thing, it’s not comforting to know that our spies are being recruited from a site where people discuss last night’s beer bong contest winners.

More unsettling still…the CIA is on Facebook! Are they spying on us? It seems I’m not the only person who had that immediate visceral reaction.

“If (the CIA) knows about Facebook, and they have a page on Facebook, it would be surprising if they weren’t using it in other ways,” says Nicole Ozer, civil liberties and technology policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

Facebook’s privacy policy states that outside companies sponsoring groups don’t have access to personal information or profiles. However, it does say that information may be shared with “other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies,” in order to comply with the law.

Besides the fact that it isn’t technically a company, the CIA says it is only using Facebook as an advertisement for new recruits.

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