Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

GCHQ: How being a spy helps me with online dating

GCHQ: How being a spy helps me with online dating

What comes next in the sequence? 7, 8, 5, 5, 3, 4, 4 ?

We'll give you the answer at the end of the article but it's solving problems like this that first drew Amena to apply for a spot on GCHQ's summer school programme to become a trainee spy.

GCHQ is the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency and their mission is to keep the country safe by analysing and disrupting the online communications of groups that pose a threat to the UK.

Of course Amena isn't her real name. For security reasons she can't tell us what it is. Radio 1 Newsbeat spoke to her via Zoom, but her camera had to be turned off.

What she can tell us is that she is in her early twenties and is first-generation British Bangladeshi, she did the summer school two years ago and now works at GCHQ full time.

Diversity issues


It's candidates like Amena that the security services are trying to get on board.

In the past, the intelligence agency hasn't had the best reputation for recruiting ethnic minorities.

In October 2020, the head of the organisation admitted they needed more diverse recruits to "reflect the natural national picture".

This year the number of female sign-ups almost doubled and those from ethnic minority backgrounds tripled compared to 2020.

Amena says diversity within GCHQ is important because "when you come from a different background, you might have a different way of looking at things".

But she has chosen not to tell her family what she does and describes that as "difficult".

"In my culture it's important you make your parents proud and it's very difficult to do that when you're in a job where you can't tell them what you do.

"I worry they'd be too proud to keep it to themselves."

GCHQ was founded in 1919


None of Amena's friends know what she does either.

"When you start at GCHQ you're warned about being careful with what you say outside of work, but the saddest thing is, people don't actually ask about work.

"I often sit in in a conversation, worried if somebody will ask about what I do and they just don't. People are quite happy to talk about themselves."

Catfish training


Amena is now an ethical hacker for GCHQ. She works in a team which legally hacks terrorists, disrupts criminal plans and protects the UK from evolving threats, such as ransomware attacks - computer viruses which demand money.

"It's really cool, frontline work. Which is exciting," she says.

"Every so often, I'll be sitting in a meeting and thinking, 'I can't believe that they're letting me into all this information'."


By all accounts, this is complex work, but for anyone who has watched MTV's Catfish, Amena says she pretty much played the role of presenter Nēv Schulman in her summer school training.

It comes in handy when online dating. She says she does background checks on potential dates by using "open source techniques" - research tools which anyone can use.

"Look for any news articles that they've been mentioned in or look at their social media pages, see if they're registered to vote, or you can reverse-search images of them. That sort of thing is all readily available."

"It's something that I do for myself and definitely something that everybody should do just to make sure we're being safe."

'I'm more relaxed now'


Each day when she enters the building, Amena swipes three different ID cards and needs a code to access her notepad. But despite the high security and jobs she works on, she says she's actually felt "more relaxed" since starting.

"I can read the news and brush off any anxiety, because I know the people working on things and I have the trust in them."

Right now is a busy time for Amena and her colleagues. Just last week, GCHQ's director said ransomware attacks have doubled in the last year in the UK but she stresses they all have outside lives.

"There's a common misconception that you've got to be a nerd, or your entire life has to revolve around work, but I get to spend a lot of my weekends at the pub."

And if you're here for the answer to the riddle, it's six. The sequence is the number of letters in the names of months. August has six letters.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×