June 1, 2010 9:00

MIA: 'Facebook and Google were developed by the CIA'

Maya Arulpragasam sends warning about site usage

Photo Gallery: MIA
Photo: Tom Oxley

MIA has claimed that Facebook and Google were developed by the CIA.

The singer told Nylon magazine that she thought it was important for users to be aware that the people behind the sites were intent on "fucking you up" in terms of the protection of personal information.

"All governments are connected to Google," she claimed. "Governments can shift their search engines so only what they want you to see comes up. I want kids to be aware of this digital circumstance."

She added: "Everyone on the internet is like, 'Oh my God, come and join Facebook!' They’re all so optimistic… and really, everyone is fucking you up behind the screens. And I don't like that. It makes it difficult for me to interact with my fans knowing that. Google and Facebook were developed by the CIA, and when you're on there, you have to know that."

MIA recently posted a new song line featuring lyrics attacking US journalist Lynn Hirschberg, who recently wrote an article about her.