The World Factbook has been a valuable reference for businesses, teachers, students, and others for years to find information about countries around the world, including trade numbers, tariffs, population, GDP, etc.
RIP_Soulja_Slim on
This is extremely random, and seemingly no explanation or reasoning. It’s probably a bit problematic that this massive depository of data was put on by the CIA rather than some more education/public focused entity but still, it was a massive store of information that was easily accessible.
FWIW, the CIA was no longer actively updating the factbook, it had been farmed out to a third party, hopefully the government (or someone) contracts that elsewhere.
AllThePrettyHouses on
As more and more public sources of data go dark, I think we’re watching a deliberate and unspoken move toward the privatization of all data, which tracks with the relationship of the current admin to its technocrat donor base.
Wade_W_Wilson on
In a world of AI, we need more cite-able sources like the world Factbook and not less.
I think many avoided it due to the CIA’s terrible history of destabilizing countries for economic exploitation.. which is understandable.
Squirrels_dont_build on
>One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. The World Factbook served the Intelligence Community and the general public as a longstanding, one-stop basic reference about countries and communities around the globe.
>The World Factbook appealed to researchers, news organizations, teachers, students, and international travelers. Some readers even inquired whether their preferred geographic designation or world entity could be included on the high-profile site.
>Though the World Factbook is gone, in the spirit of its global reach and legacy, we hope you will stay curious about the world and find ways to explore it… in person or virtually.
“Yeah, so we made this thing that was useful and that people replied on for many reasons. So, anyway, we shut it down. Stay curious, guys!”
-CIA, basically.
Vast_Bookkeeper_8129 on
It’s untrusty source for a simple reason that if another country is the one who provide the lies you believe you never going to the actual source since you been given the lie and be happy knowing that you can keep living in wonderland.
If you asked USA 1-2 decades ago them would say that China was behind in GDP of North Africa but reality is that China has 60% of the planet’s GDP which makes it ridicilous since how them write it down is that them cover up their own failing GDP by stealing it from China.
One of the main reason is that USA need countries in need of help to repay their debts. But China has been since year 2000 +passed USA and has a power who is able to pressure demands, just an example only after 5 years of ww2 china became such an economic powerhouse that USA ended up in war with china and lost the war, just a proof how the world changes that USA been paying debts to China as retribute for their wargame attempt.
This debt USA owe China for letting USA stay on the world map is how China has been able to keep developing while USA and Europe is a wasteland on infrastructure development.
Trump’s war of tariff affect the world since china owns the majority of the companies.
Curious_Olive_5266 on
I predict that FRED is next. JPM has far more detailed data on the health of the economy. Government data is redundant and inaccurate, frankly WFA. Make America great again!
7 Comments
The World Factbook has been a valuable reference for businesses, teachers, students, and others for years to find information about countries around the world, including trade numbers, tariffs, population, GDP, etc.
This is extremely random, and seemingly no explanation or reasoning. It’s probably a bit problematic that this massive depository of data was put on by the CIA rather than some more education/public focused entity but still, it was a massive store of information that was easily accessible.
FWIW, the CIA was no longer actively updating the factbook, it had been farmed out to a third party, hopefully the government (or someone) contracts that elsewhere.
As more and more public sources of data go dark, I think we’re watching a deliberate and unspoken move toward the privatization of all data, which tracks with the relationship of the current admin to its technocrat donor base.
In a world of AI, we need more cite-able sources like the world Factbook and not less.
I think many avoided it due to the CIA’s terrible history of destabilizing countries for economic exploitation.. which is understandable.
>One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. The World Factbook served the Intelligence Community and the general public as a longstanding, one-stop basic reference about countries and communities around the globe.
>The World Factbook appealed to researchers, news organizations, teachers, students, and international travelers. Some readers even inquired whether their preferred geographic designation or world entity could be included on the high-profile site.
>Though the World Factbook is gone, in the spirit of its global reach and legacy, we hope you will stay curious about the world and find ways to explore it… in person or virtually.
“Yeah, so we made this thing that was useful and that people replied on for many reasons. So, anyway, we shut it down. Stay curious, guys!”
-CIA, basically.
It’s untrusty source for a simple reason that if another country is the one who provide the lies you believe you never going to the actual source since you been given the lie and be happy knowing that you can keep living in wonderland.
If you asked USA 1-2 decades ago them would say that China was behind in GDP of North Africa but reality is that China has 60% of the planet’s GDP which makes it ridicilous since how them write it down is that them cover up their own failing GDP by stealing it from China.
One of the main reason is that USA need countries in need of help to repay their debts. But China has been since year 2000 +passed USA and has a power who is able to pressure demands, just an example only after 5 years of ww2 china became such an economic powerhouse that USA ended up in war with china and lost the war, just a proof how the world changes that USA been paying debts to China as retribute for their wargame attempt.
This debt USA owe China for letting USA stay on the world map is how China has been able to keep developing while USA and Europe is a wasteland on infrastructure development.
Trump’s war of tariff affect the world since china owns the majority of the companies.
I predict that FRED is next. JPM has far more detailed data on the health of the economy. Government data is redundant and inaccurate, frankly WFA. Make America great again!