How can the SCP foundation retain its secrecy in a technologically changing world?

Question

The SCP is an organization created after World War 2 that deals with threats to our species and the entire planet: mystical or alien artifacts, world-ending events, ancient monsters or gods that predate humanity, and other things best left unsaid. They require the cooperation of world governments and other interested parties that are informed of the necessity of this organization and their sometimes-brutal methods. They retain their secrecy by containing or eliminating threats, and making those who know things they shouldn't, disappear. They are also responsible for discovering how the artifacts work, and they use various groups of people (prisoners, witnesses, etc.) as guinea pigs.

In the past, it was relatively easy to conduct their affairs in secret. However, the world in 2018 is much different than the 1940s. We live in the age of Facebook and Twitter, where a picture posted on the internet can last forever. Cellphone cameras and GPS have made it more difficult to remain anonymous. Loved ones of prisoners and "disappeared" people are making noise and asking questions. People cannot just vanish without a trace anymore. The world is getting smaller everyday, with the advancement of technology and its availability to the public. Ambitious journalists eager for a story have taken to wiretapping and recording conversations with officials. In addition to this, politics is becoming more and more divided. A controversial president has been elected who has thrown his government into chaos with his constant firings, antagonism towards the media, and arguably divisive relationship with his colleagues. Government leaks have become a constant issue, and it is becoming much harder for governments to keep secrets.

This has thrown the SCP into a tailspin and has them worried. The constant issues with politics and tech are surpassing the protections they have in place. Some consideration has been given to using the artifacts they possess to move the needle in their favor. However, many of these are barely understood, and often lead to unintended and disastrous consequences when used.

How can they continue to retain their power and autonomy?

Answer 1

While certainly painting with a broad brush, people vanish without a trace all of the time. Even more so in the "not first world" countries. If the organization has any complicity with the government, at any level, it gets even easier as investigations get neglected or shut down.

Do people make noise? Sure they do, but the question becomes whether anyone is listening. A lone fathers eternal vigil for their child tends to be just that: alone. Shared closely, but never really expanding to greater attention. Not every family puts a billboard on their property calling out crimes.

The bigger problem isn't the individual "disappearances", its any higher level of pattern that perhaps can be intuited over time. But even then, that's "crazy talk". Books like this are written all the time. Folks love reading about a conspiracy! But then there's the problem: it's a conspiracy.

While "the internet" does give people a voice, it also gives EVERYONE a voice. "Signal to noise" ratio on "the internet" isn't really regarded as high quality.

Large organizations are implicitly inefficient and filled with "lossy" communications. There's LOTS of cracks for important details to fall in to and never be seen again. Navigated by an expert team, remaining hidden "in plain sight" can be done.

Finally, as anyone who's done any real digging in to, well, most anything, we find that the eternal memory of the internet is anything but. Link rot is real, Google is not all seeing, web sites come and go all the time. So, even then, digital vigils can eventually fade.

So I simply assert that the problem isn't perhaps as difficult as you may think it is. Watching some episodes of the X-Files as a resource of cover up colliding with bureaucracy is probably a useful exercise.

Answer 2

Leaving aside the concerns regarding organisations that "retain their secrecy by containing or eliminating threats, and making those who know things they shouldn't disappear," there are several ways they can stay out of sight.

1. Camouflage

They have access to the personnel files of every security agency worldwide, and can easily insert identification for their agents, as and when necessary, then remove it afterwards without leaving a paper trail. The public won't see the SCP kidnapping people, they'll see the KGB or Mossad.

2. Hiding in Plain Sight

The SCP's a famous movie company, releasing such hits as "Men in Black", which is about a secret government agency protecting the world from aliens; "S.H.I.E.L.D.", about a secret WWII government agency dealing with extraordinary threats; "Hellboy",a secret government agency protecting the world from "Mystical or alien artifacts, world ending events, ancient monsters or gods that predate humanity, and anything else best left unsaid"; "Indiana Jones"; "The X-Files" and many more. SCP is killing people to stop them telling the world about the supernatural? The movie company, that SCP? Come on, it's obviously a publicity stunt! I can't believe you actually thought it was real!

Answer 3

Actually it's easier than ever. To address some points:

Everyone knows the internet is full of fakes. A few decades ago, a photo was a certain proof that something exists. Today your realistic smartphone footage of bigfoot might be photoshopped by a fifteen year old living in their parents basement. Only idiots believe all those conspiracy theories without proof from a credible source. (And if SCP exists, they certainly run the majority of fact-checking websites).

In the same way, the news-cycle is faster then ever. There is no time for long investigations and even if some journalist actually has a story about incredible objects, that's just fake news and conspiracy theories. If the media persists, just release the next sex-tape, arrange for a mass shooting or just wait for the next public statement by the president and your story will be old news.

Concerning test subjects, simply don't recruit from first world countries anymore. There are more than enough Mexicans vanishing in mass graves in some drug war, refugees drowning in the Mediterranean and accused drug dealers being shot in the Philippines.

Concerning leaks, your surveillance is always improving and the people working for you know that. While a few decades ago, they might have gotten away with sending an envelope to some journalist, today the gps in their phones (leaving home without it will definitely be cause for an investigation) will tell you precisely when they went to the mailbox. And if they are crazy enough to try something anyways, did you know that many parts, including power-steering, in modern cars are controlled by computers nowadays?

Certainly, there might be stupid politicians but the politicians never get told anything important anyway. Some may have stumbled upon the deep state, but they are completely oblivious to its true purpose.

Finally the most important part: Create a website where you catalogue all the things that you are storing. Call it scp-wiki or something. Then whenever someone gets wind of some of your operations, just point them to the appropriate entry and tell them that they have just stumbled upon a hoax inspired by that strange internet horror-site.

Answer 4

There's an SCP for that.

There's so many of these things, even one that is literally a never-ending supply of pizza. I hardly find it difficult to believe there is an SCP out there that can erase credible data from the internet as soon as it is uploaded or can rework public consciousness to thinking all these sightings are merely hoaxes, movie sets, and so forth. People are really only dangerous in groups. One lone person can be easily erased if they are digging where they shouldn't.

Answer 5

They can use antimemetics for a start. Basically ideas that make themselves difficult to share.
The most powerful antimemes are forgotten as soon as you learn about them.
They have antimemetic drugs that can be given to an individual to make them forget things.

There was also "The Woodvale Incident"

A tale of how the SCP Foundation managed to keep out of the Cold War when the USA demanded that the Foundation hand over several SCPs, sites, and staff so as to have an edge over the USSR.

Finally, they can also just dispose of people that they aren't able to silence. They are not a hugely ethical organization.

Answer 6

These questions feature heavily in the Monster Hunter series by Larry Correia

The Monster Control Bureau has a legal right to remove a citizen's legal rights if the pose a threat to the suppression of supernatural knowledge. The MCB can imprison, intimidate, suppress or even outright assassinate without due process. All big companies have someone read in on the secret act and has signed the correct NDAs and will remove any suspect material upon request. Witnesses that refuse to take the hint to shut up often have slip and fall accidents in the bathroom and the police are guaranteed not to investigate too hard on the matter.

New Orleans is a hotspot so the MCB there have taken the approach of the best way to tell a lie is to tell the truth badly. They run a trashy tabloid that runs actual real stories with real photos but they digitally alter the pictures to make them look like they have been digitally altered.

All countries have their own version of the MCB and the different countries are co-operative more or less with each other. They have virtually unlimited power and minimal judicial oversight.

Basically to answer your question, yes they can suppress anything with enough brutality and ruthlessness. Even a reporter will keep quiet when they know if they try to publish it, they can be legally shot in the face and everyone they suspect to have told also gets shot.

Answer 7

Memetics

Consider SCP such as

• SCP-055
• SCP-3125
• SCP-3000

It hardly seems far-fetched that an organization in possession of inter-dimensional knowledge could harness the memory-erasing power of the artifacts and creatures they study.

Reality Benders

Some entities, like SCP-239, have human intelligence and the ability to reshape reality itself. It's not hard to imagine one such entity sharing the foundation's interest in keeping SCP's secret.

Is anything impossible for these guys?

When you think about the literally world-altering capacities of SCP-2000, is ANYTHING outside the realm of possibility? Containing a leak seems trivial compared to resetting the timeline seamlessly...

Answer 8

Three alternatives.

1. Decide the nr of SCPs are much less than the SCP wiki would have you believe. - Since it's a crowd created universe it is up to you to decide what is canon. Pick a handful of SCPs to be the ones the SCP actually contain, the rest either do not exist or are purposefully false disinformation to make it more difficult to find the actual ones. This also means the foundation is much less all encompassing, much less powerful, and much more down to earth. Also if it needs to contain a dozen anamolous SCPs instead of thousands, hiding makes it a lot easier.

2. The SCP uses anomalous SCPs to hide the information. - For all you know, the internet itself is an SCP. Every time you log in, you get a small dose of an amnesiac to make you ignore the subtler details that are incorrect. Even if not the internet as a whole is, technologies within it might be. As op point out this might have unintended consequences.

3. They don't. Their secrecy is slowly breaking, and it is only a matter of time until they are revealed. What's worse the increase in information technologies affect everyone. Cults and independents have never had an easier time obtaining information, which have resulted in an explosion of anamalous objects and entities being unearthed/invented. The world is quickly moving into a position where the abnormal can no longer be hidden away, and is quickly going from unheard of, to unique, to rare, to merely uncommon.