124: Solving Cicada 3301: Decoding the Internet's Greatest Mystery

The Why Files: Operation Podcast

Science, Life Sciences, Fiction, Society & Culture, Documentary, Science Fiction

4.8 • 5.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Early in the morning of January 4th 2012, a strange message appeared on the internet. Just a few lines of text on an image, posted anonymously.

Hello. We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test.

There is a message hidden in this image.

Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through.

Good luck.

3301

Many speculated that it was a recruiting tool for the NSA, CIA, MI6, or even the Masons.

But who was really behind it, and what was its purpose? Did it even have a purpose?

Whether it did or not, it didn’t matter. Because when you post a puzzle on the internet looking for “highly intelligent people”, that’s a challenge that’s simply *impossible* to resist.

So, the hunt for Cicada 3301 was on.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone, this is James Harkin and Anna Toshinsky, two writers of the TV show QI and
0:06.1	two-fourths of the hip-podcast, no such thing as a fish.
0:09.5	We'd like to let you know that we've written a book.
0:11.9	It is called Everything to Play for.
0:14.0	The most interesting things there are to know about the world of sports, it's for you,
0:18.5	whether you like sports or not.
0:20.2	Did you know that legendary Cricketer Gary Sobers scored his final century while drunk?
0:26.1	Or that games of lacrosse used to involve 100,000 players?
0:31.7	Learn that and so much more by getting everything to play for.
0:34.7	The QI Booker Sports available in all bookshops and online right now.
0:39.3	Hi everyone, this is James Harkin and Anna Toshinsky, two writers of the TV show QI and
0:45.9	two-fourths of the hip-podcast, no such thing as a fish.
0:49.3	We'd like to let you know that we've written a book.
0:51.6	It is called Everything to Play for.
0:53.7	The most interesting things there are to know about the world of sports, it's for you,
0:58.2	whether you like sports or not.
1:00.0	Did you know that legendary Cricketer Gary Sobers scored his final century while drunk?
1:06.5	Or that games of lacrosse used to involve 100,000 players?
1:11.6	Learn that and so much more by getting everything to play for.
1:14.4	The QI Booker Sports available in all bookshops and online right now.
1:19.7	Hey guys, Britain Laurie here from Life on Cup Podcast.
1:22.7	We are the number one dating and relationships podcast in Australia because we do things different
	...

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