CIA chat room shut down, four fired

The Central Intelligence Agency discovered an improper chat room on its classified network last month and fired four employees as a result, including one Senior Intelligence Service (SIS) officer. An intelligence official acknowledged that approximately 160 CIA employees visited the chat room. The chat room was created in the mid-1980's and was used to exchange remarks and "off-color jokes." Some of the participants were men and some were women. "There is equal blame to go around," the intelligence official said. The fired employees were stripped of their security clearances. Letters of reprimand went to 18 employees, some of whom will be suspended without pay for between 5 and 45 days. Two of these employees were SIS officers that will be downgraded one grade, according to a CIA press release. Another 79 employees received letters of warning or security briefings. Eight CIA employees were cleared of all charges. Some workers involved in the chat room retired or left the agency before the CIA began its investigation. There is no indication that the chat room was used to transmit classified information, the official said. "This was willful misuse of a government computer system. And it was done in a way to hide it from systems administrators." The CIA also revoked the security clearances of nine contractors.