Wikileaks Public date: 10.08.2017 19:48:51

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13 Dec 2010

The CIA honeypot Wikileaks mirror that wasn’t

Yesterday, I posted an item referencing a reddit thread and a widely-retweeted Google search string referencing a purported "CIA wikileaks mirror honeypot" that revealed itself as likely having been set up by the CIA. It wasn't. It was some guy's joke or something. I'm traveling with wonky mobile internet, and in the process of attempting to update the post with a clarification late last night in a sleep-depped state, I screwed up. The post was deleted. There is no conspiracy here, and no reason to believe the CIA is setting up fake Wikileaks mirrors (though, not a bad idea, amirite?).
Yesterday, I posted an item referencing a reddit thread and a widely-retweeted Google search string referencing a...
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cia, cyberwars
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10 Dec 2010

WikiWecaps

Joe Sabia of Get Whirled offers this hilarious and appropriately instructive recap of the Wikileaks saga as it has unfolded over the last few weeks.
Joe Sabia of Get Whirled offers this hilarious and appropriately instructive recap of the Wikileaks saga as it has...
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wikileaks recap
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8 Dec 2010

Silencing Wikileaks is silencing the press

Operation Payback is a bitch. "Anonymous" is retaliating against Mastercard for denying payment processing services to WikiLeaks, and Mastercard.com is currently down as a result. The apparent US government efforts to cut Wikileaks' lifeblood cashflow and web services kicked into high gear this week. On Monday, Swiss bank PostFinance closed the defense fund account for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. PayPal shut down donation processing after receiving a State Department letter, and most recently, Visa and Mastercard have suspended Wikileaks' accounts. Did the credit card companies do so in response to the same pressures? And, further, in part because the cables show the US lobbied Russia on their behalf? A Guardian report today suggests so.
Operation Payback is a bitch. "Anonymous" is retaliating against Mastercard for denying payment processing services to...
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crackdown, hackers, mastercard
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12 Jul 2011

Julian Assange’s extradition hearing begins

WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange has appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice on the first day of a High Court bid to avoid extradition. On Tuesday, the court began hearing an appeal by Assange against a decision by Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in February to send him to Sweden for questioning about allegations of rape and sexual coercion.
WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange has appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice on the first day of a High Court bid to...
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extradition, julian assange
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29 Jun 2011

Ohio teen may be linked to LulzSec attacks

A teenager in Ohio may be linked to the recent cyberattacks that hit government and corporate sites in the U.S. and U.K and have so far resulted in the arrest of U.K. teen Ryan Cleary.
A teenager in Ohio may be linked to the recent cyberattacks that hit government and corporate sites in the U.S. and U.K...
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cyberwars, lulzsec
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8 Jun 2011

Anonymous warns NATO not to challenge it

Responding to a recent report from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization condemning Anonymous, the online "hacktivist" group has issued a public response warning the global organization not to challenge it.
Responding to a recent report from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization condemning Anonymous, the online "hacktivist"...
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anonymous, cyberwars, nato
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2 Jan 2011

FBI seizes server in probe of WikiLeaks attacks

The FBI has seized a server in Texas as part of its hunt for the groups behind the pro-WikiLeaks denial-of-service attacks launched in December against PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, and others, according to a report.
The FBI has seized a server in Texas as part of its hunt for the groups behind the pro-WikiLeaks denial-of-service...
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crackdown, fbi
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26 Jul 2010

Transcript – Wikileaks Afghanistan docs ‘alarming’

The White House on Monday condemned Wikileaks' decision to release more than 75,000 secret military reports from Afghanistan, calling the move "alarming" and saying there is an investigation into how the documents were obtained.
The White House on Monday condemned Wikileaks' decision to release more than 75,000 secret military reports from...
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afghanistan
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31 Aug 2011

WikiLeaks cable: Apple slow to counter fakes

Apple did not have a global security team until March 2008, when it hired employees from drug company Pfizer to counter rampant counterfeiting of its products in China, according to a cable leaked by activist group WikiLeaks.
Apple did not have a global security team until March 2008, when it hired employees from drug company Pfizer to counter...
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apple, counterfeiting
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11 Jun 2011

Pentagon building Internet simulator to practice cyberwar

The US military is building a model of the Internet so it can practice cyberwarfare games. The project, which will be live by next summer, will include software that mimics human behavior under varying military threat levels, according to reports.
The US military is building a model of the Internet so it can practice cyberwarfare games. The project, which will be...
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cyberwars
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9 Jul 2011

Activism and ‘Lulz’ Motivate Latest Rash of Hacks – sony, security

Two prominent hacker groups, Anonymous and LulzSec, have ignited increasing concern over computer security by staging spectacular attacks and data heists against large corporations and government websites. The two groups have pulled off more than 30 attacks in the past two months, taking down websites belonging to the U.S. Senate and the CIA, humbling the gargantuan company Sony, and compromising nearly 2 million user logins and IDs across the Web.
Two prominent hacker groups, Anonymous and LulzSec, have ignited increasing concern over computer security by staging...
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anonymous, cyberwars, hackers, lulzsec
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22 May 2012

WikiLeaks supporters launch social network for like minded individuals

Backers of the whistle-blowing organisation WikiLeaks recently launched Friends of WikiLeaks (FoWL), an encrypted social network for like-minded individuals. "Friends of WikiLeaks is a network of people from across the globe who defend WikiLeaks, its people, its alleged sources and its mission," the website's homepage says. "We publicly and privately promote WikiLeaks and individuals and organisations aligned with the mission of WikiLeaks."
Backers of the whistle-blowing organisation WikiLeaks recently launched Friends of WikiLeaks (FoWL), an encrypted social...
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wikileaks
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24 Dec 2010

Steve Jobs kicks WikiLeaks out of the iTunes App Store

Explaining their position, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told the New York Times, "[We removed the app] because it violated our developer guidelines. Apps must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or group in harm s way."
Explaining their position, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told the New York Times, "[We removed the app] because it...
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apple, censorship
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16 Feb 2011

Will the Rise of Wikileaks Competitors Make Whistleblowing Resistant to Censorship

Since it began publishing a trove of classified United States Embassy cables on November 28, 2010, Wikileaks has faced an onslaught of censorship that demonstrated how online speech is vulnerable when intermediaries refuse to host contentious or unpopular speech.
Since it began publishing a trove of classified United States Embassy cables on November 28, 2010, Wikileaks has faced...
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censorship, whistleblowers
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27 Jan 2011

UK Police Nab 5 Members of ‘Anonymous’ Pro-WikiLeaks Hacker Ring

British authorities have arrest five suspects allegedly connected to the hacking group "Anonymous," a loosely organized network that most recently grabbed headlines for bringing denial-of-service attacks against companies that severed ties with WikiLeaks.
British authorities have arrest five suspects allegedly connected to the hacking group "Anonymous," a loosely organized...
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anonymous, crackdown, hackers
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2 Aug 2010

WikiLeaks will fund itself via Flattr, Pirate Bay founder’s startup

WikiLeaks, the Sweden-based organisation that publishes anonymous leaks of secret material (most recently 90,000 documents about the War in Afghanistan) has until now, relied on donations to fund its activities. That s lead to outages when funds became scarce, for whatever reason. But today WikiLeaks is unleashing a potentially devastating strike against criitics which could see it become an almost unstoppable force in the world s media. It s joined Flattr
WikiLeaks, the Sweden-based organisation that publishes anonymous leaks of secret material (most recently 90,000...
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funding
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10 Dec 2010

Personal Democracy Forum presents A Symposium on Wikileaks…

Personal Democracy Forum is an annual conference and daily online hub on all the ways that technology is changing politics, governance and society. At PersonalDemocracy.com you can find key content like videos and notes from past conferences, plus all kinds of practical information for political technology professionals, including a free job board and a variety of practical information on web campaign management consulting and technology companies, online tools, local political blogs and more.
Personal Democracy Forum is an annual conference and daily online hub on all the ways that technology is changing...
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cyberwars, democracy, technology
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29 Jan 2011

The long shadow of WikiLeaks

Talk about a wake-up call. If federal officials needed a reminder about the downside of the Internet s so-called democratization of information, WikiLeaks has provided it, big time. The whistle-blowing website has also raised numerous questions that the federal government is just beginning to answer.
Talk about a wake-up call. If federal officials needed a reminder about the downside of the Internet s so-called...
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wikileaks aftermath
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22 Dec 2010

WikiWars: Assange turns on friends, foes and lovers

Julian Assange, the man behind WikiLeaks, today begins a wideranging series of attacks on both his enemies and allies as he defends his public and private conduct. In his first UK newspaper interview since releasing hundreds of secret diplomatic cables last month, Mr Assange predicts that the United States will face reprisals if it attempts to extradite him on conspiracy charges. He accuses his media partners at The Guardian newspaper, which worked with him to make the embarrassing leaks public, of unfairly tarnishing him by revealing damaging details of the sex assault allegations he faces in Sweden. He insists that the women behind the claims were motivated by revenge.
Julian Assange, the man behind WikiLeaks, today begins a wideranging series of attacks on both his enemies and allies as...
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crackdown, julian assange, press
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9 Dec 2010

Sticky Wikis

Wikileaks has become the world s most visible and newsworthy user of cloud computing. Its current situation provides some useful enterprise lessons on the unique attributes of digital information.
Wikileaks has become the world s most visible and newsworthy user of cloud computing. Its current situation provides...
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cloud computing, wikileaks
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12 Aug 2011

Who is Anonymous?

The group, who apparently has no leader, came into prominence by openly supporting the release of classified documents through Wikileaks. But it wasn t until the hacking of Sony s PlayStation Network that the public took notice of them. And although they have been blamed for nearly every hacking attempt in the last two years, the question is- are they as dangerous as the general media claims? Who exactly is Anonymous, and for lack of a better phrase, what do they want?
The group, who apparently has no leader, came into prominence by openly supporting the release of classified documents...
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anonymous
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13 Dec 2010

Scribblings on Wikileaks Some Thoughts on Digital Nativism and Transparency

Here s the premise: My generation the Digital Natives, Gen Y and perhaps the one younger than it views the concept of Wikileaks very differently from older generations. We ve grown up sharing the intimate details of our lives, we Tweet, we post our location on FourSquare, practically inviting stalkers into our lives as a result, I believe that we expect more of a radical transparency from others including our government.
Here s the premise: My generation the Digital Natives, Gen Y and perhaps the one younger than it views the concept of...
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internet speech, transparency
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1 Sep 2011

WikiLeaks’ mystery cable, US backlash and Guardian row

On the heels of its recent release of US diplomatic cables WikiLeaks has released an encrypted file after telling its followers on Twitter to "stay tuned for an important announcement." The contents of the 571 megabyte file are a mystery as it cannot be accessed without a decryption key, which the anti-secrecy website said would be released "at the appropriate moment."
On the heels of its recent release of US diplomatic cables WikiLeaks has released an encrypted file after telling its...
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encyrpted files, source names, wikileaks
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12 Sep 2011

Random Acts of Blindness: Air Force List of WikiLeaks Banned Sites is Released

Thanks to some dogged nudging by the good folks at MuckRock.com*, we now have an authoritative list of the websites blocked by the U.S. Air Force because of the WikiLeaks disclosures. The list of 45 sites primarily covers various WikiLeaks mirror sites, as well as several of the main media outlets that partnered with the whistleblowing platform last year, including The New York Times, The Guardian, el Pais, Der Spiegel, and OWNI.fr.
Thanks to some dogged nudging by the good folks at MuckRock.com*, we now have an authoritative list of the websites...
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banned sites, us government, wikileaks
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27 Jan 2011

NYT Pondering WikiLeaks-Esque Submission System

Does the New York Times want to be the next WikiLeaks? Executive editor Bill Keller tells Yahoo's Cutline that the paper is looking into a submission system that would let leakers send documents directly to the Times rather than going through sites like WikiLeaks.
Does the New York Times want to be the next WikiLeaks? Executive editor Bill Keller tells Yahoo's Cutline that the paper...
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media, nytimes, wikileaks aftermath
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11 Dec 2010

Could the Wikileaks Scandal Lead to New Virtual Currency

It's not an exaggeration to say that the recent Wikileaks scandal has shaken the Internet to its core. Regardless of where you stand on the debate, various services have simply refused to handle Wikileaks' business--everything from domain-name providers to payment services--and this has led to many questioning how robust the Internet actually is.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the recent Wikileaks scandal has shaken the Internet to its core. Regardless of...
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virtual currency, wikileaks aftermath
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18 Jan 2012

Silencing Donahue and Anti-War Voices by Phil Donahue

In a time in the history of this nation, when there is so much happening under the table, when administrations feel they have to protect us, and in order to do that efficiently they have to keep it secret, I celebrate the courage of Bradley Manning. I ve yet to see anybody prove to anybody else that somebody was killed because of whatever it is that Bradley Manning has made public.
In a time in the history of this nation, when there is so much happening under the table, when administrations feel they...
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bradley manning, crackdown, julian assange, media
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29 Dec 2010

FBI Raids Web Hosts Over Wikileaks Advocates’ Operation Payback

The FBI has reportedly raided a Texas web host and worked with international authorities to search servers in pursuit of the anonymous leaders of the group Anonymous, who blocked the website of PayPal earlier this month in retribution to the company's decision to stop its customers from making donations to Wikileaks.
The FBI has reportedly raided a Texas web host and worked with international authorities to search servers in pursuit of...
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anonymous, crackdown, fbi
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23 Dec 2010

Wikileaks’ Leaks Leaked: Norwegian Paper Has All the Cables and None of the Restrictions

Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten, claims to have access to all 250,000 of Wikileaks' diplomatic cables. Until this point, no news organization had more than a sample sent by the whistle-blower organization.
Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten, claims to have access to all 250,000 of Wikileaks' diplomatic cables. Until...
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norway, wikileaks cables
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21 Dec 2010

Watch How WikiLeaks’ Mirrors Spread Around the World

When WikiLeaks began its release of more than 250,00 classified diplomatic cables late last month, its domain name - wikileaks.org - was the first thing to go. In the week that followed, however, a slew of mirror sites popped up, and Harvard-based developer Laurence Muller gave us a look at the global effort to keep WikiLeaks standing. Muller took the list of WikiLeaks mirrors, determined their locations, and plotted the points on Google Earth.
When WikiLeaks began its release of more than 250,00 classified diplomatic cables late last month, its domain name -...
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cyberwars, wikileaks mirrors
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15 Dec 2010

Three Hackers Arrested in Wake of DDOS Attacks

One of the more cringe-worthy stories to come out of the Wikileaks-Anonymous-DDOS plotline in the last few weeks is the lack of security practiced by just about everyone involved. Authorities found the name of a designer named Alex Tapanaris embedded in a PDF press release purporting to come from the hacker group Anonymous. His site was later inaccessible and he was said to have been arrested
One of the more cringe-worthy stories to come out of the Wikileaks-Anonymous-DDOS plotline in the last few weeks is the...
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crackdown, cyberwars, hackers
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6 Jul 2011

Archivists, librarians and WikiLeaks

If you ve followed this blog you will know that our first Recordkeeping Roundtable event, in March 2011, was on the subject of WikiLeaks ( After WikiLeaks, is it all over for the Archives? ). At that session we explored, amongst other things, what WikiLeaks cause and method says about the role and nature of archives - and what we as archivists can learn from them, in particular about shifting notions of gatekeeper access to records, building trust with user communities and dissemination and redundancy of information on the Web.
If you ve followed this blog you will know that our first Recordkeeping Roundtable event, in March 2011, was on the...
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recording history, wikileaks aftermath
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25 Apr 2011

Guantanamo Files: The essential primer

We wake up Monday to another batch of leaked, classified documents, and some of the most indicting yet: The Guantanamo files. The cache, leaked to Wikileaks, provides intelligence assessments of 759 of the 779 prisoners held at Gitmo.
We wake up Monday to another batch of leaked, classified documents, and some of the most indicting yet: The Guantanamo...
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guantanamo files
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25 Apr 2011

Leaked files reveal new info on Gitmo detainees

Secret documents about detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison reveal new information about some of the men that the United States believes to be terrorists, according to reports about the files released by several American and European newspapers. The U.S. government criticized the publication as "unfortunate."
Secret documents about detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison reveal new information about some of the men that the...
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guantanamo files
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21 Dec 2010

The NYT spills key military secrets on its front page

In The New York Times today, Mark Mazzetti and Dexter Filkins expose very sensitive classified government secrets -- and not just routine secrets, but high-level, imminent planning for American covert military action in a foreign country:
In The New York Times today, Mark Mazzetti and Dexter Filkins expose very sensitive classified government secrets -- and...
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hypocricy, leaks, press
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10 Dec 2010

Schneier on Security – WikiLeaks

The State Department has learned what the music and film industries learned long ago: that digital files are easy to copy and distribute, says Bruce Schneier, a security expert. Companies are about to make that discovery, too. There will be more leaks, and they will be embarrassing.
The State Department has learned what the music and film industries learned long ago: that digital files are easy to...
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cyber security, wikileaks aftermath
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24 Dec 2010

Can we use S3 and EC2 to host free speech?

As far as I know the issues around Amazon's decision to evict WikiLeaks from EC2 have not been discussed in the tech blogosphere. If I've missed the discussion, please post pointers in a comment on this post. I want to read what has been said.
As far as I know the issues around Amazon's decision to evict WikiLeaks from EC2 have not been discussed in the tech...
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amazon, censorship, free speech
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19 Dec 2010

Net neutrality is hypocrisy

At the PDFleaks conference in NYC last Saturday I said that after Amazon booted WikiLeaks from EC2 that signaled very clearly that there is no such thing as net neutrality. Here's a service provider, very analogous to Comcast and Verizon, that decided it wasn't in its economic interest to carry a user's bits. It wasn't just about the level or cost of the service, they cut them off totally. Without adequate explanation of why. Saying they were doing something illegal is no explanation at all. That's not for Amazon to decide, that's for the courts. Due process is required to prove that something illegal is happening. And many legal experts believe that there's nothing illegal about WikiLeaks.
At the PDFleaks conference in NYC last Saturday I said that after Amazon booted WikiLeaks from EC2 that signaled very...
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amazon, net neutrality, wikileaks aftermath
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14 Dec 2010

One great thing about WikiLeaks

It's helping us all understand that the Internet isn't just for tweeting what you had for lunch, watching (and making) viral YouTube videos, sharing family pictures on Facebook and buying stuff on Amazon.
It's helping us all understand that the Internet isn't just for tweeting what you had for lunch, watching (and making)...
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wikileaks aftermath
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10 Dec 2010

Are we starting a full-out war on the Internet

WikiLeaks is the perfect storm for all past issues on the net, but I'm afraid it also will draw us into a future that I've believed was coming and didn't want to talk about. We don't like to think about how much our civilization depends on the proper running of computer networks, and how vulnerable they are. Whoever it is that attacking Mastercard and Paypal are anonymous. They could be teenagers (that's what we hope) but they could also be professionals working for foreign governments, or even the US government.
WikiLeaks is the perfect storm for all past issues on the net, but I'm afraid it also will draw us into a future that...
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cyberwars, hackers
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6 Dec 2010

Boycott Amazon? Not doing it.

I'm a veteran of many free speech campaigns on the Internet dating back to the Communication Decency Act in 1996. I've been around this block many times. So when people say "I thought we were boycotting Amazon for their treatment of WikiLeaks" when I posted a link to Amazon's new programmable DNS feature (which I've been waiting for, thanks) I see it all coming around again.
I'm a veteran of many free speech campaigns on the Internet dating back to the Communication Decency Act in 1996. I've...
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amazon, crackdown, wikileaks
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16 Dec 2010

Aussie Spies Spooked By Cyberwar

Wikileaks cables released overnight revealed that Australia's top cyber spy agency (akin to the NSA) was unprepared for cyberwar in the view of other intelligence agencies in 2008.
Wikileaks cables released overnight revealed that Australia's top cyber spy agency (akin to the NSA) was unprepared for...
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australia, cyberwars
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22 Jun 2011

The menace of computer hacking

In late May, the US media group PBS ran a strange story on its website. "Prominent rapper Tupac has been found alive and well in a small resort in New Zealand," it reported. "The small town - unnamed due to security risks - allegedly housed Tupac and Biggie Smalls (another rapper) for several years."
In late May, the US media group PBS ran a strange story on its website. "Prominent rapper Tupac has been found alive and...
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activism, hackers, wikileaks aftermath
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9 Dec 2010

WikiLeaks Julian Assange: The Hilariously Over-The-Top, Strange Animated Video

Well, we all knew this was coming. Like they've done time and time again, NMA.tv has delivered a hilariously over-the-top, strange animated video about a current event. This time, it's WikiLeaks' Julian Assange. Yes, the man everyone in the entire world is talking about. And, naturally, we have plenty of tech companies making a cameo in the video. PayPal, Amazon, etc.
Well, we all knew this was coming. Like they've done time and time again, NMA.tv has delivered a hilariously...
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julian assange
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9 Dec 2010

Everyone at Le Web is Wrong: Wikileaks Should be Condemned not Celebrated

Le Web. I'm still unclear on the unique selling point of Europe's "leading technology conference" , and yet here I am, for the third year in a row, hanging out in a snow-bound venue four hundred miles from the centre of Paris, watching a succession of American entrepreneurs being interviewed - in English - by journalists who have flown in specially from California. I ll say this, though: the food is good this year - really good. Now, having satisfied my annual obligation to be snarky about Le Web, I'm free to talk about what passes for the big story of the conference, and indeed the biggest story of the world right now. Wikileaks. Specifically, the continuing DOS attacks against companies who are perceived as enemies of Wikileaks.
Le Web. I'm still unclear on the unique selling point of Europe's "leading technology conference" , and yet here I am,...
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wikileaks aftermath
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6 Dec 2010

WikiLeaks’ One True Home Is Twitter, But For How Long

With Amazon, Paypal and EveryDNS.net dissolving their relationships to WikiLeaks, leaving it without a stable home and a way to make money, Twitter currently serves as the only solid ground the Internet whistleblower has to stand on. This has left many wondering whether or not Twitter will eventually take down the @wikileaks account if put under enough pressure, from lawmakers or otherwise
With Amazon, Paypal and EveryDNS.net dissolving their relationships to WikiLeaks, leaving it without a stable home and a...
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crackdown
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11 Aug 2011

State Department Spent $1.2 Billion On An Asset Monitoring System… That Ignores All Non-Windows Equipment

We just wrote about a GAO report showing how the Defense Department is somewhat incompetent at dealing with online threats. Of course, it's not clear that anyone else in the government is any better. The GAO is back with yet another report, dinging the State Department for its dreadful computer security monitoring program. In this case, it's talking about threats to the State Department's network, rather than to third parties. And while the State Department spent a whopping $1.2 billion of taxpayer money on a fancy computer system, called iPost, to monitor everything, it turns out that it only works on Windows machines:
We just wrote about a GAO report showing how the Defense Department is somewhat incompetent at dealing with online...
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cyberwars, state department
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28 Jun 2011

The End Of LulzSec Is Not The End Of Hactivism

Lots of news over the weekend concerning the surprise announcement that LulzSec -- the group of "hactivists-for-the-lulz" who were able to generate so much attention -- had announced plans to disband just a day or so after promising many more hacks.
Lots of news over the weekend concerning the surprise announcement that LulzSec -- the group of...
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hackers, lulzsec
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7 May 2011

WSJ Launches Wikileaks Competitor… But Says It Can Reveal Your Info To Law Enforcement

With all the focus on Wikileaks recently, and the question of whether it is or is not "press" (not that it actually matters), one point that I've heard more than a few people raise is: why didn't any of the big news organizations create Wikileaks?
With all the focus on Wikileaks recently, and the question of whether it is or is not "press" (not that it actually...
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wall street journal, whistleblowing site, wikileaks aftermath
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5 May 2011

Hillary Clinton: We Want Journalism Innovation That Makes Info Easier To Share… Unless It’s Wikileaks

Jeff Sonderman points us to the odd statement put out by Hilary Clinton and the State Department for World Press Freedom Day, in which she praises the internet for making info easier to share and for holding governments accountable:
Jeff Sonderman points us to the odd statement put out by Hilary Clinton and the State Department for World Press Freedom...
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free speech, internet, state department
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12 Apr 2011

Even Mainstream Reporters Now Mocking US Bogus ‘Transparency’ On Human Rights Issues Concerning Bradley Manning

A number of folks have picked up on the near total lack of self-recognition by the US federal government in response to its annual release of a State Department report condemning China's human rights record.
A number of folks have picked up on the near total lack of self-recognition by the US federal government in response to...
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bradley manning, china, human rights, torture
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3 Mar 2011

Bradley Manning Hit With New Charges; Could Face Death Penalty

After being unable to convince Bradley Manning to lie about his "relationship" with Julian Assange, the government has decided to up the pressure on Manning by filing another 22 charges against him, including putting him at risk of facing the death penalty -- though, they insist that they will not ask for the death penalty
After being unable to convince Bradley Manning to lie about his "relationship" with Julian Assange, the government has...
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bradley manning, legal battle
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4 Feb 2011

Leaked State Department Cables Confirm That ACTA Was Designed To Pressure Developing Nations

The idea is to first do all of this with those "like-minded" (i.e., protectionist) countries, and then use the agreement to try to pressure those developing nations and other nations concerned about the expansive problems of intellectual property law into "joining." In other words, stack the deck first with those who benefit most, and then use international pressure to force the agreement on those who aren't comfortable with the end result of such laws.
The idea is to first do all of this with those "like-minded" (i.e., protectionist) countries, and then use the agreement...
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developing nations, free speech, usa
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27 Jan 2011

The Background Story Of The NY Times’ Relationship With Julian Assange

If you haven't yet, set aside some time to read the NY Times' executive editor Bill Keller's account of the paper's association with Julian Assange. It gives some interesting (and not too surprising) background details about the relationship, Assange himself, and Keller's views on the overall impact of Wikileaks.
If you haven't yet, set aside some time to read the NY Times' executive editor Bill Keller's account of the paper's...
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julian assange, media, nytimes
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21 Jan 2011

Wikia Owned Wikileaks.com Domain; Assange Ignored Attempts To Hand It Over

I had seen the BBC article from a week or so ago about Jimmy Wales talking about the complexity of Wikipedia and how it needs to improve, but hadn't read all the way to the end where there was a rather interesting tidbit. Copycense however alerted us to this little bit of trivia at the end about how Wikipedia's sorta sister company Wikia owns some Wikileaks domain names... including Wikileaks.com:
I had seen the BBC article from a week or so ago about Jimmy Wales talking about the complexity of Wikipedia and how it...
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domain names, julian assange
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15 Jan 2011

Rep. Darrell Issa — Who Says Investigating Wikileaks Is A Priority — Sets Up His Own Whistleblower Site

There seems to be a bit of confusion among the new leadership in the House concerning just what Wikileaks does. Just over a week ago or so, we noted that Rep. Darrell Issa, who is heading the "oversight committee" had declared that investigating Wikileaks was a major priority for Congress, because if the US government didn't attack back at Wikileaks, the world would "laugh" at how the US had become a "paper tiger."
There seems to be a bit of confusion among the new leadership in the House concerning just what Wikileaks does. Just...
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congress, crackdown, gop, hypocracy
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14 Jan 2011

So Who Else Did The Government Demand Info From In The Wikileaks Investigation

Singel (and some of our own commenters) also pointed out that Twitter was following in the footsteps of Nicholas Merrill, the head of Calyx Internet Access. Merrill, famously, fought a gag order on a National Security Letter he received from the FBI.
Singel (and some of our own commenters) also pointed out that Twitter was following in the footsteps of Nicholas...
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crackdown, fbi, twitter
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13 Jan 2011

Customs’ Hamfisted Attempts To Intimidate Wikileaks Volunteers

Computer security expert (and US citizen) Jacob Appelbaum, who is well known for his work on Tor, had been having some issues lately concerning his involvement as a volunteer with Wikileaks. He was among those who had their info requested by the Feds via Twitter.
Computer security expert (and US citizen) Jacob Appelbaum, who is well known for his work on Tor, had been having some...
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crackdown, twitter
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12 Jan 2011

Debunking The Myth That Wikileaks Cable Leaks Haven’t Been Important

Whatever you might think of Wikileaks -- and it's difficult to deny that it is a severely flawed operation in many ways -- one of the sillier critiques of the recent release of secure State Department cables is the claim that these cables didn't really reveal anything important.
Whatever you might think of Wikileaks -- and it's difficult to deny that it is a severely flawed operation in many ways...
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wikileaks aftermath
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8 Jan 2011

Why Senator Lieberman’s Censorship Law Is Unconstitutional And A Danger To Free Speech

Senator Joe Lieberman has been the harshest critic of the Wikileaks cable leak, and has been very active in putting pressure on US companies to either block or cut ties with Wikileaks. Even if you support those actions and hate Wikileaks,
Senator Joe Lieberman has been the harshest critic of the Wikileaks cable leak, and has been very active in putting...
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censorship, free speech
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7 Jan 2011

Feds Subpoena Twitter For Info On Wikileaks-Supporting Icelandic Politician

In the feds continued efforts to find something (anything!) to charge Wikileaks with, its latest fishing expedition apparently involves issuing a subpoena to Twitter asking for info on the account of Birgitta Jonsdottir, a Member of Iceland's Parliament, who had been instrumental in helping Wikileaks establish a strong free speech legal structure in Iceland.
In the feds continued efforts to find something (anything!) to charge Wikileaks with, its latest fishing expedition...
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crackdown, twitter
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4 Jan 2011

New Congressional Leadership Prioritizes Wikileaks Investigation

We had high hopes after a recent Congressional hearing about Wikileaks, which appeared to focus more on the problem of overly secretive government rather than just blaming Wikileaks, that perhaps the US wouldn't go too far in its overreaction to the site.
We had high hopes after a recent Congressional hearing about Wikileaks, which appeared to focus more on the problem of...
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congress, crackdown, gop
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3 Jan 2011

Wikileaks Reveals That The US Won’t Comply With Treaty Obligations Concerning Investigations Into CIA Rendition

Once again, this is hardly a surprise, but it's increasingly being confirmed by the various State Department cable leaks that the US Justice Department is failing to comply with its treaty obligations with other countries, in their investigations into US (mainly CIA) "rendition" operations, where they take people captured elsewhere and find some place to torture them.
Once again, this is hardly a surprise, but it's increasingly being confirmed by the various State Department cable leaks...
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cia, rendition, usa
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31 Dec 2010

Why Does The Myth Persist That Wikileaks Is Indiscriminately Leaking Thousands Of Documents

A few weeks ago, we called out the fact that many in the press continued to falsely report that Wikileaks had indiscriminately released all 250,000+ State Department cables that it had in its possession. In fact, this was the key claim that many have used to condemn Wikileaks and to suggest that it's neither a journalistic entity nor a whistleblowing entity.
A few weeks ago, we called out the fact that many in the press continued to falsely report that Wikileaks had...
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crackdown, wikileak cables
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30 Dec 2010

Just Weeks After Cutting Off Wikileaks, Amazon Brags About How US Federal Gov’t Is One Of Its Biggest AWS Customers

While Senator Joe Lieberman took credit for pressuring Amazon to stop hosting Wikileaks content via its Amazon Web Services infrastructure, Amazon insisted that government pressure had nothing to do with it. Still, it seems rather odd that just weeks after booting Wikileaks, Amazon sent out a press release bragging about how the US federal government is one of its biggest customers (found via Slashdot).
While Senator Joe Lieberman took credit for pressuring Amazon to stop hosting Wikileaks content via its Amazon Web...
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amazon, censorship, crackdown
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28 Dec 2010

Once Again, More State Dept. Cables Show Swedish Copyright Enforcement At The Behest Of US

There's absolutely nothing surprising at all about the following, but Christian Engstrom (one of the two European Parliament Members from The Pirate Party*) highlights yet another leaked State Department cable that shows that many of the copyright enforcement efforts of the Swedish government were in response to a six point checklist given to the Swedish government by the US Embassy
There's absolutely nothing surprising at all about the following, but Christian Engstrom (one of the two European...
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state department, sweden, us
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28 Dec 2010

NY Times Finally Speaks Out Against Financial Firms Blocking Wikileaks

One of the more annoying things about watching the major news publications discussing the Wikileaks controversy is how infrequently they seem to realize that many of the attacks they themselves have been directing (or redirecting) at Wikileaks could come back to haunt them as well, as many could apply to them when they do things such as publish information about leaked documents.
One of the more annoying things about watching the major news publications discussing the Wikileaks controversy is how...
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censorship, press
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28 Dec 2010

Wikileaks, Intermediary Chokepoints And The Dissent Tax

What the Wikileaks furor shows us is that a dissent tax is emerging on the Internet. As a dissident content provider, you might have to fight your DNS provider. You might need to fund large-scale hosting resources while others can use similar capacity on commercial servers for a few hundred dollars a year. Fund-raising infrastructure that is open to pretty much everyone else, including the KKK, may not be available. This does not mean that Wikileaks cannot get hosted, as it is already well-known and big, but what about smaller, less-famous, less established, less well-off efforts? Will they even get off the ground?
What the Wikileaks furor shows us is that a dissent tax is emerging on the Internet. As a dissident content provider,...
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censorship, crackdown, dissent tak
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23 Dec 2010

Now Random Webhosts Are Demanding Wikileaks Mirrors Be Taken Down Over Possibility Of DDoS

With all the attempts by corporations to distance themselves from Wikileaks -- often claiming dubious legal issues or terms of use violations that don't seem to really exist -- the EFF is pointing out that one of the (many, many) Wikileaks mirror sites was told by his hosting company he had to remove it or he'd lose his account. The reasoning was quite bizarre. The host claimed that its upstream provider was worried about potential DDoS attacks
With all the attempts by corporations to distance themselves from Wikileaks -- often claiming dubious legal issues or...
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censorship, crackdown, free speech, wikileaks mirrors
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23 Dec 2010

JFK On Secrecy And Censorship

Glyn Moody points us to a blog post that has a video/audio clip of a John F. Kennedy speech to the press about secrecy and censorship, which is getting some attention for the contrast to the way our government is responding to the Wikileaks controversy.
Glyn Moody points us to a blog post that has a video/audio clip of a John F. Kennedy speech to the press about secrecy...
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censorship, free speech, jfk
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22 Dec 2010

So WikiLeaks Is Evil For Releasing Documents… But DynCorp Gets A Pass For Pimping Young Boys To Afghan Cops

One refrain we keep hearing against Wikileaks is that the cable releases aren't really "whistleblowing," because they're not really revealing anything. However, it seems like each day there's another big revelation of rather horrible things being done (and covered up) by the US government
One refrain we keep hearing against Wikileaks is that the cable releases aren't really "whistleblowing," because they're...
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afghanistan, corruption, media, wikileaks aftermath
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22 Dec 2010

Why Are US Publications Downplaying The Significance Of Some Of Wikileaks’ Leaks

We still can't quite figure out why the story of US contractors in Afghanistan pimping little boys to law enforcement officials doesn't seem to get nearly the sort of attention in the press that Wikileaks itself gets, even though Wikileaks is what revealed the actions by Dyncorp.
We still can't quite figure out why the story of US contractors in Afghanistan pimping little boys to law enforcement...
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censorship, dyncorp, journalism, press
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20 Dec 2010

Will The Journalists Who Outed CIA’s Pakistan Chief Be Treated Like Julian Assange

Richard Kulawiec pointed us to the news that got a lot of attention last week concerning how the CIA had recalled its chief in Pakistan back to the US after his name was outed in a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by a guy who blames the CIA for his relatives being killed in a drone attack. Apparently, two Pakistani journalists gave him the name of the CIA chief, and the guy included it in his lawsuit, leading to the recall. While the American press is not reporting the guy's name, it's widely available in foreign coverage.
Richard Kulawiec pointed us to the news that got a lot of attention last week concerning how the CIA had recalled its...
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jpournalism, press
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17 Dec 2010

So After Torturing Bradley Manning For Months, US Officials Offer Him A Deal If He Says Assange ‘Conspired’ With Him

This is hardly a surprise, but after locking up Bradley Manning in solitary confinement for seven months -- a condition that much of the world has deemed to be torture -- and looking for ways to use a computer hacking law to charge Julian Assange, rumors are that officials have offered Bradley Manning a plea deal, in which he would claim that Assange "conspired" with him to get and leak the documents.
This is hardly a surprise, but after locking up Bradley Manning in solitary confinement for seven months -- a condition...
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bradley manning, julian assange, torture
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17 Dec 2010

How Wikileaks and Operation Payback Have Exposed Infrastructure That Should Be Decentralized, But Isn’t

The classic line about how "the internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it," is certainly being proven true yet again these days, but there is an interesting corollary that might be worth considering in this as well: which is that sometimes these attempts at censorship expose the need for new routes, and those routes are quickly created.
The classic line about how "the internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it," is certainly being...
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wikileaks aftermath
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17 Dec 2010

Congressional Hearing On Wikileaks Surprisingly Focuses More On Gov’t Overly Secretive Actions

Earlier today, Congress held hearings about Wikileaks and, given how the government has been reacting so far, I fully expected pure grandstanding about how "evil" Wikileaks is and how Julian Assange must be brought to justice.
Earlier today, Congress held hearings about Wikileaks and, given how the government has been reacting so far, I fully...
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us congress
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17 Dec 2010

Interesting Timing Senate Passes Federal Whistleblower Protection Bill

We were just highlighting how the government is terrible at protecting whistleblowers -- with particular attention to the horrific treatment of Bradley Manning. As all of this is going on, it's worth pointing out that the Senate (apparently without much sense of irony) has passed a "Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act," which would seek to grant greater protections to government employees who blow the whistle on government wrongdoing.
We were just highlighting how the government is terrible at protecting whistleblowers -- with particular attention to...
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bradley manning, us congress, whistleblower protection bill
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