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About Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is a not-for-profit media organisation. Our goal is to bring important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists (our electronic drop box). One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth. We are a young organisation that has grown very quickly, relying on a network of dedicated volunteers around the globe. Since 2007, when the organisation was officially launched, WikiLeaks has worked to report on and publish important information. We also develop and adapt technologies to support these activities.
WikiLeaks has sustained and triumphed against legal and political attacks designed to silence our publishing organisation, our journalists and our anonymous sources. The broader principles on which our work is based are the defence of freedom of speech and media publishing, the improvement of our common historical record and the support of the rights of all people to create new history. We derive these principles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In particular, Article 19 inspires the work of our journalists and other volunteers. It states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. We agree, and we seek to uphold this and the other Articles of the Declaration.
1.2 How WikiLeaks works
WikiLeaks has combined high-end security technologies with journalism and ethical principles. Like other media outlets conducting investigative journalism, we accept (but do not solicit) anonymous sources of information. Unlike other outlets, we provide a high security anonymous drop box fortified by cutting-edge cryptographic information technologies. This provides maximum protection to our sources. We are fearless in our efforts to get the unvarnished truth out to the public. When information comes in, our journalists analyse the material, verify it and write a news piece about it describing its significance to society. We then publish both the news story and the original material in order to enable readers to analyse the story in the context of the original source material themselves. Our news stories are in the comfortable presentation style of Wikipedia, although the two organisations are not otherwise related. Unlike Wikipedia, random readers can not edit our source documents.
As the media organisation has grown and developed, WikiLeaks been developing and improving a harm minimisation procedure. We do not censor our news, but from time to time we may remove or significantly delay the publication of some identifying details from original documents to protect life and limb of innocent people.
We accept leaked material in person and via postal drops as alternative methods, although we recommend the anonymous electronic drop box as the preferred method of submitting any material. We do not ask for material, but we make sure that if material is going to be submitted it is done securely and that the source is well protected. Because we receive so much information, and we have limited resources, it may take time to review a source's submission.
We also have a network of talented lawyers around the globe who are personally committed to the principles that WikiLeaks is based on, and who defend our media organisation.
1.3 Why the media (and particularly Wiki leaks) is important
Publishing improves transparency, and this transparency creates a better society for all people. Better scrutiny leads to reduced corruption and stronger democracies in all society's institutions, including government, corporations and other organisations. A healthy, vibrant and inquisitive journalistic media plays a vital role in achieving these goals. We are part of that media.
Scrutiny requires information. Historically, information has been costly in terms of human life, human rights and economics. As a result of technical advances particularly the internet and cryptography - the risks of conveying important information can be lowered. In its landmark ruling on the Pentagon Papers, the US Supreme Court ruled that "only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government." We agree.
We believe that it is not only the people of one country that keep their own government honest, but also the people of other countries who are watching that government through the media.
In the years leading up to the founding of WikiLeaks, we observed the world's publishing media becoming less independent and far less willing to ask the hard questions of government, corporations and other institutions. We believed this needed to change.
WikiLeaks has provided a new model of journalism. Because we are not motivated by making a profit, we work cooperatively with other publishing and media organisations around the globe, instead of following the traditional model of competing with other media. We don't hoard our information; we make the original documents available with our news stories. Readers can verify the truth of what we have reported themselves. Like a wire service, WikiLeaks reports stories that are often picked up by other media outlets. We encourage this. We believe the world's media should work together as much as possible to bring stories to a broad international readership.
1.4 How WikiLeaks verifies its news stories
We assess all news stories and test their veracity. We send a submitted document through a very detailed examination a procedure. Is it real? What elements prove it is real? Who would have the motive to fake such a document and why? We use traditional investigative journalism techniques as well as more modern rtechnology-based methods. Typically we will do a forensic analysis of the document, determine the cost of forgery, means, motive, opportunity, the claims of the apparent authoring organisation, and answer a set of other detailed questions about the document. We may also seek external verification of the document For example, for our release of the Collateral Murder video, we sent a team of journalists to Iraq to interview the victims and observers of the helicopter attack. The team obtained copies of hospital records, death certificates, eye witness statements and other corroborating evidence supporting the truth of the story. Our verification process does not mean we will never make a mistake, but so far our method has meant that WikiLeaks has correctly identified the veracity of every document it has published.
Publishing the original source material behind each of our stories is the way in which we show the public that our story is authentic. Readers don't have to take our word for it; they can see for themselves. In this way, we also support the work of other journalism organisations, for they can view and use the original documents freely as well. Other journalists may well see an angle or detail in the document that we were not aware of in the first instance. By making the documents freely available, we hope to expand analysis and comment by all the media. Most of all, we want readers know the truth so they can make up their own minds.
1.5 The people behind WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks is a project of the Sunshine Press. It's probably pretty clear by now that WikiLeaks is not a front for any intelligence agency or government despite a rumour to that effect. This rumour was started early in WikiLeaks' existence, possibly by the intelligence agencies themselves. WikiLeaks is an independent global group of people with a long standing dedication to the idea of a free press and the improved transparency in society that comes from this. The group includes accredited journalists, software programmers, network engineers, mathematicians and others.
To determine the truth of our statements on this, simply look at the evidence. By definition, intelligence agencies want to hoard information. By contrast, WikiLeaks has shown that it wants to do just the opposite. Our track record shows we go to great lengths to bring the truth to the world without fear or favour.
The great American president Thomas Jefferson once observed that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We believe the journalistic media plays a key role in this vigilance.
1.6 Anonymity for sources
As far as we can ascertain, WikiLeaks has never revealed any of its sources. We can not provide details about the security of our media organisation or its anonymous drop box for sources because to do so would help those who would like to compromise the security of our organisation and its sources. What we can say is that we operate a number of servers across multiple international jurisdictions and we we do not keep logs. Hence these logs can not be seized. Anonymization occurs early in the WikiLeaks network, long before information passes to our web servers. Without specialized global internet traffic analysis, multiple parts of our organisation must conspire with each other to strip submitters of their anonymity.
However, we also provide instructions on how to submit material to us, via net cafes, wireless hot spots and even the post so that even if WikiLeaks is infiltrated by an external agency, sources can still not be traced. Because sources who are of substantial political or intelligence interest may have their computers bugged or their homes fitted with hidden video cameras, we suggest that if sources are going to send WikiLeaks something very sensitive, they do so away from the home and work.
A number of governments block access to any address with WikiLeaks in the name. There are ways around this. WikiLeaks has many cover domains, such as https://destiny.mooo.com, that don't have the organisation in the name. It is possible to write to us or ask around for other cover domain addresses. Please make sure the cryptographic certificate says wikileaks.org .
2. WikiLeaks' journalism record
2.1 Prizes and background
WikiLeaks is the winner of:
- the 2008 Economist Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression award
- the 2009 Amnesty International human rights reporting award (New Media)
WikiLeaks has a history breaking major stories in major media outlets and robustly protecting sources and press freedoms. We have never revealed a source. We do not censor material. Since formation in 2007, WikiLeaks has been victorious over every legal (and illegal) attack, including those from the Pentagon, the Chinese Public Security Bureau, the Former president of Kenya, the Premier of Bermuda, Scientology, the Catholic & Mormon Church, the largest Swiss private bank, and Russian companies. WikiLeaks has released more classified intelligence documents than the rest of the world press combined.
2.2 Some of the stories we have broken
- War, killings, torture and detention
- Government, trade and corporate transparency
- Suppression of free speech and a free press
- Diplomacy, spying and (counter-)intelligence
- Ecology, climate, nature and sciences
- Corruption, finance, taxes, trading
- Censorship technology and internet filtering
- Cults and other religious organizations
- Abuse, violence, violation
War, killings, torture and detention
- Changes in Guantanamo Bay SOP manual (2003-2004) - Guantanamo Bay's main operations manuals
- Of Orwell, Wikipedia and Guantanamo Bay - In where we track down and expose Guantanamo Bay's propaganda team
- Fallujah jail challenges US - Classified U.S. report into appalling prison conditions in Fallujah
- U.S lost Fallujah's info war - Classified U.S. intelligence report on the battle of Fallujah, Iraq
- US Military Equipment in Iraq (2007) - Entire unit by unit equipment list of the U.S army in Iraq
- Dili investigator called to Canberra as evidence of execution mounts - the Feb 2008 killing of East Timor rebel leader Reinado
- Como entrenar a escuadrones de la muerte y aplastar revoluciones de El Salvador a Iraq - The U.S. Special Forces manual on how to prop up unpopular government with paramilitaries
Government, trade and corporate transparency
- Change you can download: a billion in secret Congressional reports - Publication of more than 6500 Congressional Research Reports, worth more than a billion dollars of US tax-funded research, long sought after by NGOs, academics and researchers
- ACTA trade agreement negotiation lacks transparency - The secret ACTA trade agreement draft, followed by dozens of other publications, presenting the initial leak for the whole ACTA debate happening today
- Toll Collect Vertraege, 2002 - Publication of around 10.000 pages of a secret contract between the German federal government and the Toll Collect consortium, a private operator group for heavy vehicle tolling system
- Leaked documents suggest European CAP reform just a whitewash - European farm reform exposed
- Stasi still in charge of Stasi files - Suppressed 2007 investigation into infiltration of former Stasi into the Stasi files commission
- IGES Schlussbericht Private Krankenversicherung, 25 Jan 2010 - Hidden report on the economics of the German private health insurance system and its rentability
Suppression of free speech and a free press
- The Independent: Toxic Shame: Thousands injured in African city, 17 Sep 2009 - Publication of an article originally published in UK newspaper The Independent, but censored from the Independent's website. WikiLeaks has saved dozens of articles, radio and tv recordings from disappearing after having been censored from BBC, Guardian, and other major news organisations archives.
- Secret gag on UK Times preventing publication of Minton report into toxic waste dumping, 16 Sep 2009 - Publication of variations of a so-called super-injunction, one of many gag-orders published by WikiLeaks to expose successful attempts to suppress the free press via repressive legal attacks
- Media suppression order over Turks and Caicos Islands Commission of Inquiry corruption report, 20 Jul 2009 - Exposure of a press gagging order from the Turks and Caicos Islands, related to WikiLeaks exposure of the Commission of Inquiry corruption report
- Bermuda's Premier Brown and the BCC bankdraft - Brown went to the Privy council London to censor the press in Bermuda
- How German intelligence infiltrated Focus magazine - Illegal spying on German journalists
Diplomacy, spying and (counter-)intelligence
- U.S. Intelligence planned to destroy WikiLeaks, 18 Mar 2008 - Classified (SECRET/NOFORN) 32 page U.S. counterintelligence investigation into WikiLeaks. Has been in the worldwide news.
- CIA report into shoring up Afghan war support in Western Europe, 11 Mar 2010 - This classified CIA analysis from March, outlines possible PR-strategies to shore up public support in Germany and France for a continued war in Afghanistan. Received international news coverage in print, radio and TV.
- U.S. Embassy profiles on Icelandic PM, Foreign Minister, Ambassador - Publication of personal profiles for briefing documents for U.S. officials visiting Iceland. While lowly classified are interesting for subtle tone and internal facts.
- Cross-border clashes from Iraq O.K. - Classified documents reveal destabalizing U.S. military rules
- Tehran Warns US Forces against Chasing Suspects into Iran - Iran warns the United States over classified document on WikiLeaks
- Inside Somalia and the Union of Islamic Courts - Vital strategy documents in the Somali war and a play for Chinese support
Ecology, climate, nature and sciences
- Draft Copenhagen climate change agreement, 8 Dec 2009 - Confidential draft "circle of commitment" (rich-country) Copenhagen climate change agreement
- Draft Copenhagen Accord Dec 18, 2009 - Three page draft Copehagen "accord", from around Friday 7pm, Dec 18, 2009; includes pen-markings
- Climatic Research Unit emails, data, models, 1996-2009 - Over 60MB of emails, documents, code and models from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, written between 1996 and 2009 that lead to a worldwide debate
- The Monju nuclear reactor leak - Three suppressed videos from Japan's fast breeder reactor Monju revealing the true extent of the 1995 sodium coolant disaster
Corruption, finance, taxes, trading
- The looting of Kenya under President Moi - $3,000,000,000 presidential corruption exposed; swung the Dec 2007 Kenyan election, long document, be patient
- Gusmao's $15m rice deal alarms UN - Rice deal corruption in East Timor
- How election violence was financed - the embargoed Kenyan Human Rights Commission report into the Jan 2008 killings of over 1,300 Kenyans
- Financial collapse: Confidential exposure analysis of 205 companies each owing above EUR45M to Icelandic bank Kaupthing, 26 Sep 2008 - Publication of a confidential report that has lead to hundreds of newspaper articles worldwide
- Barclays Bank gags Guardian over leaked memos detailing offshore tax scam, 16 Mar 2009 - Publication of censored documents revealing a number of elaborate international tax avoidance schemes by the SCM (Structured Capital Markets) division of Barclays
- Bank Julius Baer: Grand Larceny via Grand Cayman - How the largest private Swiss bank avoids paying tax to the Swiss government
- Der Fall Moonstone Trust - Cayman Islands Swiss bank trust exposed
- Over 40 billion euro in 28167 claims made against the Kaupthing Bank, 23 Jan 2010 - List of Kaupthing claimants after Icelandic banking crash
- Northern Rock vs. WikiLeaks - Northern Rock Bank UK failed legal injunctions over the ¡Ì24,000,000,000 collapse
- Whistleblower exposes insider trading program at JP Morgan - Legal insider trading in three easy steps, brought to you by JP Morgan and the SEC
Censorship technology and internet filtering
- Eutelsat suppresses independent Chinese-language TV station NTDTV to satisfy Beijing - French sat provider Eutelsat covertly removed an anti-communist TV channel to satisfy Beijing
- Internet Censorship in Thailand - The secret internet censorship lists of Thailand's military junta
Cults and other religious organizations
- Church of Scientology's 'Operating Thetan' documents leaked online - Scientology's secret, and highly litigated bibles
- Censored Legion de Cristo and Regnum Cristi document collection - Censored internal documents from the Catholic sect Legion de Cristo (Legion of Christ)
- US Department of Labor investigation into Landmark Education, 2006 - 2006 investigative report by the U.S. Department of Labor on Landmark Education
Abuse, violence, violation
- Report on Shriners raises question of wrongdoing - corruption exposed at 22 U.S. and Canadian children's hospitals.
- Claims of molestation resurface for US judo official
- Texas Catholic hospitals did not follow Catholic ethics, report claims - Catholic hospitals violated catholic ethics
3. Short essays on how a more inquiring media can make a difference in the world
3.1 The Malaria Case Study: the antidote is good governance born from a strong media
Malaria is a case study in why good governance not just good science is the solution to so much human suffering. This year, the mosquito borne disease will kill over one million people. More than 80% of these will be children. Great Britain used to have malaria. In North America, malaria was epidemic and there are still a handful of infections each year. In Africa malaria kills over 100 people per hour. In Russia, amidst the corruption of the 1990s, malaria re-established itself. What is the difference between these cases?
Why does Malaria kill so many people in one place but barely take hold in another? Why has malaria been allowed to gain a foothold in places like Russia where it was previously eradicated? We know how to prevent malaria epidemics. The science is universal. The difference is good governance.
Put another way, unresponsive or corrupt government, through malaria alone, causes a children's "9/11" every day. [1]
It is only when the people know the true plans and behaviour of their governments that they can meaningfully choose to support or reject them. Historically, the most resilient forms of open government are those where publication and revelation are protected. Where that protection does not exist, it is our mission to provide it through an energetic and watchful media.
In Kenya, malaria was estimated to cause 20% of all deaths in children under five. Before the Dec 2007 national elections, WikiLeaks exposed $3 billion of Kenyan corruption, which swung the vote by 10%. This led to changes in the constitution and the establishment of a more open government. It is too soon to know if it will contribute to a change in the human cost of malaria in Kenya but in the long term we believe it may. It is one of many reforms catalyzed by WikiLeaks unvarnished reporting.
3.2 The importance of principled leaking to journalism, good government and a healthy societyPrincipled leaking has changed the course of history for the better. It can alter the course of history in the present, and it can lead us to a better future.
Consider Daniel Ellsberg, working within the US government during the Vietnam War. He comes into contact with the Pentagon Papers, a meticulously kept record of military and strategic planning throughout the war. Those papers reveal the depths to which the US government has sunk in deceiving the American people about the war. Yet the public and the media know nothing of this urgent and shocking information. Indeed, secrecy laws are being used to keep the public ignorant of gross dishonesty practised by their own government. In spite of those secrecy laws and at great personal risk, Ellsberg manages to disseminate the Pentagon papers to journalists and to the world. Despite criminal charges against Ellsberg, eventually dropped, the release of the Pentagon Papers shocks the world, exposes the government lying and helps to shorten the war and save thousands of both American and Vietnamese lives.
The power of principled leaking to call governments, corporations and institutions to account is amply demonstrated through recent history. The public scrutiny of otherwise unaccountable and secretive institutions forces them to consider the ethical implications of their actions. Which official will chance a secret, corrupt transaction when the public is likely to find out? What repressive plan will be carried out when it is revealed to the citizenry, not just of its own country, but the world? When the risks of embarrassment and discovery increase, the tables are turned against conspiracy, corruption, exploitation and oppression. Open government answers injustice rather than causing it. Open government exposes and undoes corruption. Open governance is the most effective method of promoting good governance.
Today, with authoritarian governments in power in much of the world, increasing authoritarian tendencies in democratic governments, and increasing amounts of power vested in unaccountable corporations, the need for openness and transparency is greater than ever. WikiLeaks interest is the revelation of the truth. Unlike the covert activities of state intelligence agencies, as a media publisher WikiLeaks relies upon the power of overt fact to enable and empower citizens to bring feared and corrupt governments and corporations to justice.
With its anonymous drop box, WikiLeaks provides an avenue for every government official, every bureaucrat, and every corporate worker, who becomes privy to damning information that their institution wants to hide but the public needs to know. What conscience cannot contain, and institutional secrecy unjustly conceals, WikiLeaks can broadcast to the world. It is telling that a number of government agencies in different countries (and indeed some entire countries) have tried to ban access to WikiLeaks. This is of course a silly response, akin to the ostrich burying its head in the sand. A far better response would be to behave in more ethical ways.
Authoritarian governments, oppressive institutions and corrupt corporations should be subject to the pressure, not merely of international diplomacy, freedom of information laws or even periodic elections, but of something far stronger - the consciences of the people within them.
3.3 Should the press really be free?
In its landmark ruling on the Pentagon Papers, the US Supreme Court ruled that "only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government." We agree.
The ruling stated that "paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell."
It is easy to perceive the connection between publication and the complaints people make about publication. But this generates a perception bias, because it overlooks the vastness of the invisible. It overlooks the unintended consequences of failing to publish and it overlooks all those who are emancipated by a climate of free speech. Such a climate is a motivating force for governments and corporations to act justly. If acting in a just manner is easier than acting in an unjust manner, most actions will be just.
Sufficient principled leaking in tandem with fearless reporting will bring down administrations that rely on concealing reality from their own citizens.
It is increasingly obvious that corporate fraud must be effectively addressed. In the US, employees account for most revelations of fraud, followed by industry regulators, media, auditors and, finally, the SEC. Whistleblowers account for around half of all exposures of fraud.
Corporate corruption comes in many forms. The number of employees and turnover of some corporations exceeds the population and GDP of some nation states. When comparing countries, after observations of population size and GDP, it is usual to compare the system of government, the major power groupings and the civic freedoms available to their populations. Such comparisons can also be illuminating in the case of corporations.
Considering the largest corporations as analogous to a nation state reveals the following properties:
- The right to vote does not exist except for share holders (analogous to land owners) and even there voting power is in proportion to ownership.
- All power issues from a central committee.
- There is no balancing division of power. There is no fourth estate. There are no juries and innocence is not presumed.
- Failure to submit to any order may result in instant exile.
- There is no freedom of speech.
- There is no right of association. Even romance between men and women is often forbidden without approval.
- The economy is centrally planned.
- There is pervasive surveillance of movement and electronic communication.
- The society is heavily regulated, to the degree many employees are told when, where and how many times a day they can go to the toilet.
- There is little transparency and something like the Freedom of Information Act is unimaginable.
- Internal opposition groups, such as unions, are blackbanned, surveilled and/or marginalized whenever and wherever possible.
While having a GDP and population comparable to Belgium, Denmark or New Zealand, many of these multi-national corporations have nothing like their quality of civic freedoms and protections. This is even more striking when the regional civic laws the company operates under are weak (such as in West Papua, many African states or even South Korea); there, the character of these corporate tyrannies is unregulated by their civilizing surroundings.
Through governmental corruption, political influence, or manipulation of the judicial system, abusive corporations are able to gain control over the defining element of government the sole right to deploy coercive force.
Just like a country, a corrupt or unethical corporation is a menace to all inside and outside it. Corporations will behave more ethically if the world is watching closely. WikiLeaks has exposed unethical plans and behaviour in corporations and this as resulted in recompense or other forms of justice forms of justice for victims.
3.4 Could oppressive regimes potentially come to face legal consequences as a result of evidence posted on WikiLeaks?
The laws and immunities that are applied in national and international courts, committees and other legal institutions vary, and we can't comment on them in particular. The probative value of documents posted on WikiLeaks in a court of law is a question for courts to decide.
While a secure chain of custody cannot be established for anonymous leaks, these leaks can lead to successful court cases. In many cases, it is easier for journalists or investigators to confirm the existence of a known document through official channels (such as an FOI law or legal discovery) than it is to find this information when starting from nothing. Having the title, author or relevant page numbers of an important document can accelerate an investigation, even if the content itself has not been confirmed. In this way, even unverified information is an enabling jump-off point for media, civil society or official
Sunday, December 5, 2010
WikiLeaks - About http://213.251.145.96/about.html
Link to the new WikiLeaks: http://213.251.145.96/index.html <> #WikiLeaks Website, How to find it and access cables (Links)
WikiLeaks Website, How to find it and access cables (Links)
Link to the new WikiLeaks: http://213.251.145.96/index.html
http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-gainesville/wikileaks-website-how-t...
U.S. Internet providers bail on WikiLeaks - National News | Examiner.com
U.S. Internet providers bail on WikiLeaks
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U.S. Internet service providers are the first ones to bail on the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. EveryDNS.net, one of the world’s largest free domain service providers, cut ties with the controversial website over what they say was a violation of their Acceptable Use Policy Thursday night. More specifically, the DNS provider cited the recent series of rogue attacks from computer hackers as the reason for ending their business partnership. According to the EveryDNS.net homepage, these multiple distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, done by angry individuals in protest to the site’s recent leak of illegally obtained documents and cables, violated the company’s terms of use because they interfered with their other members' use and enjoyment of their services.
The problem with this argument is that normally when a DNS provider drops a client it is because the client themselves has violated the contract rather than third-party protestors, according to Andre Rickardsson, who is an expert on file-sharing and information technology at Sweden’s Bitsec Consulting. "WikiLeaks is not behind the disturbance here, but individuals trying to disturb WikiLeaks' operations," Rickardsson said Friday morning in an interview with the Associated Press.
The other U.S. company to bail on WikiLeaks is Amazon.com, who recently stopped providing the website with their server rent service. Although Amazon has refused to comment, their decision came shortly after U.S. government officials questioned the publically traded company about their service to the WikiLeaks site. Senator Joe Lieberman commended Amazon for their decision and said that the company should "set the standard" for all companies working with the website.
Although other motives cannot be confirmed for EveryDNS.net and Amazon.com, there is no doubt that the two companies were exposed to large amounts of pressure coming from the international community who believe that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, committed serious crimes with his release of the classified material to the public. Little has been done by the U.S. government thus far to shut down the website, with First Amendment rights tying up any immediate action. In the meantime, the cables are continuing to pour out as WikiLeaks has moved to a new Swiss academic network service provider and was forced to rent space from another European server.
Pressure continues to mount on Washington officials who have to undertake constant damage control as different unflattering cables are leaked every few days. The most recent cleanup has to do with allegations from top U.S. government and Afghanistan officials who claim that President Karzai has become a weak and irrational leader. These new cables could cause harder work for American and NATO efforts in the Afghanistan war as U.S. officials are desperately trying to turn the country over to the Afghanistan people by 2014. Karzai, who is known for his paranoia and mistrust of American officials, will likely not receive the leaked cables warmly.
If #Wikileaks were a movie would it be "Wag the dog"... or "Idiocracy"? - | Examiner.com
Is Wikileaks just the usual American propaganda or a new form of Communication?
Are world's media just a flock of sheeps who love being sodomized by America's propaganda? Or is Wikileaks bringing world politics to a new communication level?
Beyond all these questions what's really amazing is the fact that every newspaper in the world today is publishing Wikileaks documents treating them as the commandment tablets brought down by Moses from Mount Sinai. As a general rule, if you are a professional journalist, before printing something out you always should pose yourself a question: "Is this damn wikileaks a credible source?" Indeed the real matter here about this Wikileaks story is all about credibility. In other words, the question is: who gave wikileaks the title of "credible source?"
Let's put the case that an hypotetical journalist today would question his boss on Wikileaks credibility. This could be a hypotetical newsroom dialogue:
Journalist: "who gave wikileaks the title of "credible source?"
Boss "What? wake up dude! That's Wikileaks! the most credible source on the planet!"
Journalist:"Who told you that?"
Boss "Are you blind? Don't you see everybody is printing Wikileaks documents?"
Journalist: "Well, ok but who told everybody Wikileaks is a credible source?"
Boss "The Pentagon and the US government and Hillary Clinton and CNN and these are all credible sources dude! don't you think? Then there's that Manning guy, down in Kuwait,he's in the military so he's definitely credible"
Journalist "yes but nobody has ever seen him right?"
Boss "are you saying you don't trust the department of defense? Now go back to work and never pose such stupid questions again!"
Journalist:"Alright boss I won't ask it ever again"
So Wikileaks has an infinite credibility by default, without being credited by history, experience, or any former result, other than releasing thousands of pseudo-classified documents. Wikileaks credibility comes just from the fact that major American institutions like Pentagon and State Department are taking it as gospel....I mean basically it´s their creature, because Wikileaks exists thanks to some pentagon documents they received from a still undisclosed source.
Yes because the "source" who apparently stole and then leaked all these documents to Wikileaks is Private First Class Bradley E. Manning, that in practice is just a name on a piece of sheet as nobody has ever seen him and obviously he´s not available for comments as at the moment he´s confined to a military base in Kuwait.
If these facts weren´t real, probably it would have been the perfect plot for a Robert Ludlum´s novel, or better if it were a movie was definitely Wag the dog, as this Private sounds very much like Sergeant William "Old Shoe" Schumann. Actually Private Manning could resemble also to Cpl. Joe Bauers, a.k.a. "Not Sure", the protagonist of the movie "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge.
So Wikileaks releases hundreds of thousands of documents and immediately takes the spotlight with top credibility. So strange.
Steven Greer, the head of Disclosure Project had been working on the disclosure project for more than 15 years, he gathered more than 800 alive witnesses among Intelligence, military, politics and the scientific community and he was able to gather them all at the Washington Press club and make them testify under oath about extraterrestrial existence from their direct work experience. These witnesses basically were government employees who had direct contact with ET classified material because of their job.
Despite the hot topic, the credibility of the witnesses and the strenght of the evidence, the event received not a single headline in the news, just some feature story that probably lasted less than 5 minutes in a news show for just one day. Although according to Dr. Greer there is more evidence on the extraterrestrial subject than there was for Monicagate....
While these Wikileaks people came out of the blue with all this toilet papers and are able to catch the limelight and stay on forever...How is that? There's certainly something fishy here.... In the media, we all know how it works: something goes on and something doesn't. it's all about editorial choices. Somebody picks up Wikileaks as today's news story and there we go.
In the past recent history there´s another event very similar to this Wikileaks story, it´s the story of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon papers. Same historical background, with America involved in a war in Vietnam and this Ellsberg dude who disclose these "pentagon papers" to the public.
Just history repeating? The story details are so similar: Ellsberg was a military analyst and a former marine, like this Manning dude, he´s a military analyst....at this point we should analyse every single public revelation involving the military in recent history.
For example we are used to think the Watergate scandal was discovered by those two journalists at the Washington Post: Bernstein and Woodward. But Woodward was a former Naval Intelligence officer, he worked at the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).While in the Navy Bob Woodward was the briefing officer for Admiral Moorer, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who had authorized his subordinates to spy on the White House´s National Security Counsel.....Woodward during the Watergate investigation was fed by the FBI through deep throat, aka FBI Associate Director Mark Felt. Woodward's supervisor was Ben Bradlee, a former CIA propaganda officer. During his service Bradlee joined the staff of the Office of U.S. Information and Educational Exchange (USIE), the embassy's propaganda unit. USIE produced films, magazines, research, speeches, and news items for use by the CIA throughout Europe. USIE (later known as USIA) also controlled the Voice of America, a means of disseminating pro-American "cultural information" worldwide....Do I have to go on?
In practice the Watergate was a news show run by the United States Intelligence community? However the Watergate wasn't a scandal it was just a smooth way to get rid of Richard Nixon.
Let's make an hypothesis: the same thing is happening now with this Wikileaks files. Same method it just with different actors, but the story is just the same: Wikileaks does not exist at all. It's just a false flag trick to deliver a message from an unofficial source, in order to have a story that sounds credible and objective because it comes from a third part.
In the end, if this would be the case, it would mean America a nation run by Intelligence on a need-to-know basis? If yes this might be a cold war heritage, but it stays on because of America´s role in the world balance. That´s why thinking of the possibility that a massive amount of leaks may occur, it's not just out of question, it´s just impossible.
Meanwhile those wikileaks folks think they are the ones who run the show...pathetic.
The Wikileaks documents reveal what the US government think of the world but the government cannot say it officially. Why they can't say it? Simply because America's opinion is not shared by the rest of the world. In practice it's a solo opinion. The problem is that America's interests are only America's interests, that's why its opinion cannot be popular and shared by the rest of the world. America holds the unique position of world's controller, how can its opinion be shared by somebody outside of its role?
So basically Wikileaks serves as America's opinion outsourcer to the rest of the world. Period. That's what Wikileaks was made for. Basically this is a heritage of the Kissinger doctrine applied to today's media battlefield. The Kissinger doctrine is basically linking America´s interests to the world´s interests. In other words: "our problems are the world´s problems".
We used the Kissinger doctrine for the Vietnam war, we adopted it in the Gulf war and we apply it in the war on terror. In practice the Kissinger doctrine can be summarized with one sentence: "the linking of the whole world for self interests"
Usually a world leader does not express its opinion through a press release, you need somebody (Wikileaks) who "steal" the information and then release it.
The thing is Wikileaks is not aware of it, they think they are there to save the world by leaking strategic documents. How can somebody be so naive?If you still ignore it....America let you know only what they want you to know....why? Because the public is composed not only of US fans, there are enemies, business competitors, terrorists, and we are at war. So how can you expect media or governments to speak the truth? Personally I wouldn't and if Mr. Julian Assange thinks any different he's just a poor minus habens.
There's nothing wrong in it, it's actually a good way to let the world know what the boss (America) thinks of its co-workers (Allies) and competitors (enemies) and if you are the world's cop that's absolutely understandable. The only thing I complain about is the way you run the show, in my opinion this Wikileaks thing is really badly organized and the show is all you've got, that's why you have to set it up right and in my opinion this Wikileaks show wasn't.
But let's see the real deal: from the Wikileaks documents released these days we have been informed that we cannot trust Pakistan, we should not trust the Saudis, China, Russia, or North Korea. (Obviously the "we" is from the United States of America's POV.)
But we all have to trust the United States of America. Is this a fair judgement a boss should express? A perfect show should have been better organized and mostly perfectly balanced, in order to be absolutely credible. On the contrary, according to Glenn Beck "the documents are helping to foster anarchy and chaos around the globe" by disclosing personal profiles and details of world leaders redacted by US diplomats. In practice these documents are just gossips on world leaders like Berlusconi, Putin, Sarkozy and their little circus of big con artists. etc.
At this point we obviously take for granted that the Pentagon and the State Department gave those documents on purpose to those wikileaks folks as if this weren't the case Julian Assange was already buried under the 20 yard at the Giant Stadium, Wikileaks office were blown up and no media would have reported a single "leak".
Although they're apparently doing their best to fight against Wikileaks: Senator Joe Lieberman even proposed a law against those who would publish intelligence reports, totally ignoring (or forgetting?) there's already a law providing such evenience...Then there's the search warrant in 188 countries...wow..(wasn't the same proclamation made also for Osama Bin Laden?) But Assange is still at large,(isn't he?) he's actually in England, and everybody knows it. He's releasing interviews to major newspapers like The Guardian, without apparently being worried that a black op squad could jump upon him while sipping his martini....Then they say they re shutting down the Wikileaks website, but strangely it's still up there...they just changed its IP address (probably to have more space for commercials) just the usual fluffy smoke...that makes the phenomenon always more famous and well kept under the spotlight. Indeed U.S. officials at the Pentagon and State Department denied Friday December 3, knowing of any efforts to take down the WikiLeaks website or asking companies to do so.
The only question that's still on is just one: why? These profiles have been made by US diplomats, so basically Wikileaks is just a strategy of foreign policy. The question is: was this made just to weaken the position of our allies and enemies? Because this could be the ultimate goal...
Indeed I believe if you let somebody know what you think of him/her, by publicly exposing what his weakness is, he might try to change his behavior for good, in order to improve his image to the world. Or not?
Has the State Department just become a sort of global political shrink? Although this could be a revolutionary working system to improve US foreign policy and relations....certainly we know that this show is run by the State Department because it's not the US foreign policy under trial here, even if some of the documents concerned human rights violations made by the US.
Indeed we already knew about the Guantanamo tortures and human rights violations both in Iraq and Afghanistan...and that's nothing new, just a bone to the dogs, so it's not the US policy under scrutiny here, but the rest of the world's ethics and trustiness.
Basically those diplomatic cables all together make a world's portrait as seen by the State Department. In terms of journalism it could be considered as a State Department Op.Ed.
Although we still have a question: cui prodest? That means who is going to take advantage of it? Well, usually diplomats do not shout their personal opinions to their colleagues face, as it would kill the concept of diplomacy itself. Even if you do it through the triangular diplomacy of Wikileaks.
Although maybe this could be a way to bring diplomatic communication to a new level: the one of true sincerity as a new system of communication among world leaders. If this is the case, we have a new international relations era waiting ahead of us because America would be leading the world into a new level of communication by teaching self-awareness to every single citizen on this planet.
This would be like to be run by enlightened leaders, I would say like almost extra-terrestrials......Indeed in my opinion there's nothing better than the truth to bring justice, peace and prosperity to the world.
Let's hope this is the real deal and Wikileaks' ultimate goal.
And God saves the United States of America.
http://www.examiner.com/ny-in-new-york/if-wikileaks-were-a-movie-it-d-be-wag-...
The Powers That Beat: COINTELPRO: The Legacy
COINTELPRO: The Legacy
Daily dose of TMI: May 13, 3010
Staus: Halted in progress (yay me @ElyssaD)
I don't if know if you received this email. My netbook crashed as I as sending and it froze for 26 hours.
But I did the information for SafeLink program which is wonderful because my extremely "bazaar" and changes the cell service every few days without informing me. Tmobile will not provide information at all so I can't access email because they reset the password. Itonically, the ONE legal snafu with that lttle welfare phone... the bitch fucked me there too... by claiming me AGAIN as a dependent in New York State.
As you know she claimed as a dependent on her tax returns without my consent or knowledge.
The IRS informed me of this breach since every time I went to file my taxed they were rejected by the IRS because it showed up a duplicate Tax (Social Security ID)
She claims that her accountant did and she knew nothing about it (if you could only picture my face and feel the sarcasm in voice as I am forced to repeat this information time and time again to any and all "agencies" who make inquired) she however does see this as a problem and refuses to file an amended return (cost $70.00) so once again I am rendered incapable of establishing independent (in every sense of theword)
In addition, my father, well... Here we go...
My father as you know agreed to be my representative payee for Social Security disability. Obviously that was a big mistake on my part and has yet to be resolved. Congressman Cooper's office totally droppedthe ball and said there is nothing they can do. I requested that reopen the investigation, and despite my persistent nice (which is both annoying and immense) they simply do pretend that I don't exist. Governor Bredesen sent an email telling me to call the President.Seriously, are you kidding me?
So this is where we stand: no Social Security never received the money that received in IOTOLA account during the months I spent sleeping in my car or at the lake last summer.
And yes. I did spend a week or so at "The Mission" when I ran out of gas, energy, and hope last August. My father still was receiving the money, but did not pay bills, or release to me in time to prevent the inevitable total disconnection of any and all services (utilities) making it near impossible to re-establish service. They required excessive fees for deposits and past due balances.
As per federal law, my father, Marc Durant is responsible for paying those fees as they were a direct result of his failure to act in my best interest but also a breach of fiduciary duty.
Now, to make matters worse, every time they seem to locate the paperwork it gets redirected to the Philadelphia field office. So The US Dept of Treasury located the funds that were never sent "in error" some bank account (probably in the Cayman's or wherever rich people go to hide there money ~ note both the sarcasm and the simple fact that this is most likely true. It is sad that even to put in these little side notes to even use the one things that through this mess...
Dark sarcasm and a little bit of humor. I'm sick of making excuses for these people (mother: Karen, and father: Leslie Marc Durant) so I am laying it down on the table for whomever it cares to question and blame me for this "unfortunate" situation..
These are the facts. And I need to take a break because my fingers are getting cramps and my back is in spasm.
But I will continue to "the facts" out as long so that I can be free of the constant struggle to be independent, self-sufficient and EMPLOYED! This is absurdity and I realize I have people who do see the obvious truth here. Yet in the real world and the everyday struggle to be "human" continues.
My mother will always be #batshitcrazy. My father will always be #abovethelaw.But I will not always have the strength or the ability to communicate effectively given my financial, physical and emotional reality.
I am aware. I am aware that this is too much for one person to handle and I don't blame those walk away in disgust and frustration because they don't understand the intricate details of the law or the immense emotional drama AND trauma that I face each day without resolution.
I understand that people need to believe that these are the ramblings of a mad woman. If that were true I would say by all means, give me the strongest does of anti psychotics asap. As I think most people arestarting to realize, unfortunately, these facts check out.
There is no treatment for the habitual and continued ignorance of the public at large.
It is not my job soothe them or educate them as in law, sociology, and "the world according to me @ElyssaD"
I do the best I can because I know how serious and pervasive certain components of my story ring true for a number of people.
I will do the best I can to fight that stigma and the emotional torture I live with every single say.
Godammit, I hope this thing sends. It is bad enough that I am typing all this shit on cell phone because AT&T wants a $400 non refundable fee plus $150 deposit, plus $49 for installation for internet
So in the spirit of which it was intended: Send, send, send!
and don't bounce back now, ya hear?
Wishing myself luck. I know these words are dangerous to some, especially in light of the guy who got arrested for sending out a threatening tweet. Yeah, ~ insert sarcasm about here ~ if you think my words are "dangerous" than you need you deserve to be scared!(Laughs to oneself as I know I am not a physical threat to anyone but let's face it, if you don't get it you never will. And if this is a lesson is Social Darwinism, let the dumb ones live in fear! And to quote (without permission or proper citation to be added!) But "If this tweet offends you, probably deserve it!"
@icpchad Yes. I am aware. Now format this bitch and enter it into your contest. I deserve win something.
Maybe an iTHINGY or iNTERNET. Not just iWANT that is a legitimate iNEED in the world I live in.
File under: Disambiguation, Crime, Social Justice / Human Rights;Crime, Crisis, Digital Divide, Cognitive Dissonance, Conspiracy Theory
This is me, just me@ElyssaD
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Elyssa DurantDate: Tue, 11 May 2010 19:32:58 -0500Subject: New Microsoft Office Word DocumentTo: elyssa.durant@yahoo.com, ELYSSA DURANT
Thanks Stacy... I had a hearing at Social Security about two weeks ago.Very depressing. It cost $44 to or transportation, and they alreadyreversed the decision now I have to go back again and file the samepaperwork.
I have not received anything from Section 8 which has me concerned,and my I am a really difficult time with without internet, TV,transportation.... or even a library w/in walking distance.Especially with the weather this weekend... I had no idea until Iheard the sirens. and then of everything was closed... and in 'thehood" it is cash culture, so of course ppl became very aggressive [akamean] fighting over bottle of water and at the gas station when theyreopened.
my mother cancelled changed the password on the "family plan" after wehad "words" regarding well... really nothing... but today has justbeen especially difficult since I don't have reliable phone service...which of course is both a security and comfort issue for someone whowrites as a form of therapy..
I just this alert on my computer email... I don't even know where to start...I received the invitation to the info session on WIPA that you guysdid...unfortunately transportation is problematic.
I have been receiving of lot of from people online... as silly as itsounds there are so many ppl isolated and lonely. So I found they haveforums for ppl with PTSD and it has been very helpful to have eed backthat I am not the only one feeling left behind in the disabilitymovement.
Apparently I managed to reach a few ppl locally who call [my number ispublic] to ask if I had any success with the housing and re-employmentprograms. it makes me feel like I can be of some service to thecommunity... social services just got hear so I need to sign off but Ihave received so many fraud alert that other people e.g., EFF andother human right agencies have started to ask about my story.
All I can say is that I did write a review online for the Ctr 4 Indliving at disabilty.gov website when they were looking to for feedbackon reemployment programs... I also had an I usa today and thehufffington post that made me hopeful and regret at the same time...this is a recent post i got tons of feed back on... it is long, butppl really seem to relate...
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Elyssa Durant, Ed.M.Nashville, Tennessee(615) 424-8810
"You may not care how much I know, but you don't know how much I care."
Alert: Tell Congress No #NWO food control - National Human Rights | Examiner.com
Alert: Tell Congress No NWO food control
So-called Food Safety Modernization Act bans life: Private gardens illegalPhoto: NWO and Secret Societies/Rady AnandaHuman Right to Food: Article 25, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Notes from Peace Team:
Corporations Are NOT The People
Impeach The Supreme Court 5_____________________________________________________________
The one click form provided by the Peace Team will send your personal message to all your government representatives to stop the corporate takeover of the entire food supply: "Exempt Small Food Producers Or Reject S. 510," the so-called Food Safety Modernization Act that violates human rights Article 25.
Evening of November 29, the Senate resumes debating S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act . If passed, all food production would be regulated by Homeland Security - including on your property. The Senate could vote on S.510 Tuesday.
Congress readies to gift to Homeland Security control of Americans' food though the Food Safety Modernization Act, with former Monsanto employee now deputy commissioner for food at FDA.
One of President Obama's key behind-the-scenes advisers, globalist Henry Kissinger once said, "If you control the food supply, you control the people.” (Also see: Kissinger: Obama Will Create A New World Order)
In contrast to Kissinger's plotting New World Order through Agenda 21 control including depopulation, Article 25 of the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in section (1): "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food,.."
The U.S. Congress would violate the human right detailed in of Article 25 by enacting S. 510.
This Act "is just a huge corporate takeover of our entire food supply to our health detriment, and must be stopped at all costs," according to the Peace Team, one among many peace and justice groups working to protect the dwindling human rights in the United States.
"In the aftermath of the massive recent Salmonella in eggs recall it is clear that 100 percent of the real problems with our food safety are the giant factory farms, where animals spend their entire wretched lives wallowing in their own filth in claustrophobic conditions.
"These CAFOs (we call them Concentrated Animal Filth Operations) are just mega breeding grounds for bacteria and deadly new viruses that end up not just in animal products but spread to vegetable fields and even our water supply."
There is a prediction of global food insecurity by end of year. Police have already begun “Guns Drawn” raids on organic food stores in California in the food war on the people. The petrochemical-military-industrial-complex has poisoned the Gulf of Mexico food-web.
The reader can contact Congresspersons and also send personal comments as a letter to the editor of the nearest local daily newspaper by clicking here at the Stop S. 510 Action Page: http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1057.php
Copyright 2010 Deborah Dupré. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Deborah Dupré, B.Sci, MA. Sci, DipContEd, QMHP from U.S. and Australian universities, human and environmental rights advocate for over 25 years in the U.S., Vanuatu and Australia. Support her work by subscribing to her articles and forwarding the link of this article to friends and colleagues or reposting only title and first paragraph linked to this Examiner page. Emails info@DeborahDupre.com. Send targeting and Gulf illness news tips to her with your name or anonymously. See her Vaccine Liberty or Death book plus Compassion Film Project DVDs.
Obtain a Toxic Survival Kit or have one delivered to a Gulf Coast resident in need: See Gulf Coast Barefoot Doctors online or email info@gcbarefootdocs.org. Learn to become a Gulf Coast Barefoot Doctor here. Supplies are not meeting demand. Please help.
Send aid to Gulf victims by visiting Coastal Heritage Society of Louisiana, spearheaded by humanitarians Joannie Hughes and Kindra Arnesen. (See: chsl.webs.com/)
Sign Louisiana's Petition to stop BP/NOAA PR campaign in Louisiana Schools teaching that oil and Corexit are safe.
Remain informed with news in best interest of the public by visiting the Jeff Rense Program at Rense.com/ - providing Gulf news daily since onset of the crime against humanity.
Make Gulf incident reports and view the ongoing, rapidly increasing incidents at oilspill.labucketbrigade.org. Text or call in reports to (504) 27 27 OIL. Send reports to bpspillmap@gmail.com and Twitter with the hashtag #BPspillmap. If in danger or witness an emergency, contact your local emergency response agency immediately.
Related articles by Deborah Dupré
”If you control the food supply, you control the people” – Henry Kissinger As Congress readies to gift to Homeland Security control of Americans' food though the the Food Safety Modernization Act, with former
Published August 31, 2010
Food control by Homeland Security set
"Today my heart is not only racing from breathing the air as I take these pictures, it cries as nature is dying in front of me.” ~ Louisiana Bucket Brigade incident report To further preserve our freedom now that the petrochemical-military-industrial-complex
Published August 30, 2010
$(window).ready(function(){ updateSearchInfo(50, "food modernization"); });
Breaking News: Farmers, food, freedom under attack: S 510 food fascism threatens Americans
Tomorrow the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP Committee) will "mark-up" S 510, the Senate version of the so-called "Food Safety" bill, last step before a full Senate vote possibly within the next
Published November 17, 2009
$(window).ready(function(){ updateSearchInfo(50, "food modernization"); });
Winona LaDuke to speak: Food peace not crisis
Winona LaDuke at the Green for All Dream Reborn Conference in 2008 Photo: Wikipedia The Center for Community Service-Learning is sponsoring a campus-wide presentation Tuesday, November 9, 2010 by Winona LaDuke. LaDuke
Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans’ Credit Cards in Real Time | Threat Level | Wired.com
Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans’ Credit Cards in Real Time
- By Ryan Singel
- December 2, 2010 |
- 5:06 pm |
- Categories: Surveillance
Federal law enforcement agencies have been tracking Americans in real-time using credit cards, loyalty cards and travel reservations without getting a court order, a new document released under a government sunshine request shows.
The document, obtained by security researcher Christopher Soghoian, explains how so-called “Hotwatch” orders allow for real-time tracking of individuals in a criminal investigation via credit card companies, rental car agencies, calling cards, and even grocery store loyalty programs. The revelation sheds a little more light on the Justice Department’s increasing power and willingness to surveil Americans with little to no judicial or Congressional oversight.
For credit cards, agents can get real-time information on a person’s purchases by writing their own subpoena, followed up by a order from a judge that the surveillance not be disclosed. Agents can also go the traditional route — going to a judge, proving probable cause and getting a search warrant — which means the target will eventually be notified they were spied on.
The document suggests that the normal practice is to ask for all historical records on an account or individual from a credit card company, since getting stored records is generally legally easy. Then the agent sends a request for “Any and all records and information relating directly or indirectly to any and all ongoing and future transactions or events relating to any and all of the following person(s), entitities, account numbers, addresses and other matters…” That gets them a live feed of transaction data.
DOJ powerpoint presentation on Hotwatch surveillance orders of credit card transactions
It’s not clear what standards an agent would have to follow to get a “Hotwatch” order. The Justice Department told Soghoian the document is the only one it could find relating to “hotwatches” — which means there is either no policy or the department is witholding relevant documents.
The Justice Department did not return a call for comment.
Every year, the Justice Department does have to report to Congress the numbers of criminal and national security wiretaps undertaken, as well as the number of National Security Letters issued. Tens of thousands of NSLs are issued yearly — most with gag orders that forbid ISPs or librarians from ever saying they have ever been served with such a subpoena.
But the Justice Department does not report or make public the number of times it got real time or historic cell phone location information, nor how often it is using these so-called “hotwatch” orders.
Photo courtesy of TheTruthAbout
See Also:
Tags: SurveillanceAlso on Wired.com
#PayPal Freezes #WikiLeaks Account | Threat Level | Wired.com
PayPal Freezes WikiLeaks Account
- By Kevin Poulsen
- December 4, 2010 |
- 3:31 am |
- Categories: Censorship, WikiLeaks
In potentially the most significant attack on WikiLeaks to date, PayPal on Friday froze the account of the German foundation accepting donations for the secret spilling website, claiming that WikiLeaks was in violation of PayPal’s terms of service.
“PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity,” reads a statement on PayPal’s website. “We’ve notified the account holder of this action.”
Most of the over $1 million in contributions WikiLeaks has drawn in the last year have come through its PayPal account, which belongs to the Wau Holland Foundation, a German non-profit group that manages the bulk of WikiLeaks’ money.
Attempting to donate to Wau Holland though PayPal on Friday night produced the message “This recipient is currently unable to receive money.”
PayPal’s move comes amid mounting U.S. pressure against WikiLeaks over its cache of over 250,000 State Department diplomatic cables. Struggling with denial-of-service attacks on its servers earlier this week, WikiLeaks moved to Amazon’s EC2 cloud-based data-storage service, only to be summarily booted off on Wednesday. Then on Thursday its domain-name service provider, EveryDNS, stopped resolving WikiLeaks.org, after the DNS provider was battered by the DoS attacks.
There was an element of theater to WikiLeaks’ supposed struggles against electronic censorship this week. WikiLeaks kept its domain hosting at EveryDNS even after the company gave WikiLeaks notice that it was pulling the plug. And though WikiLeaks has no shortage of hosting options outside of U.S. influence, founder Julian Assange selected Amazon instead, in what he described Friday as a test of the company’s commitment to free speech.
The attack on WikiLeaks’ money flow, in contrast, is the real deal, and has the potential to genuinely impact the organization.
PayPal’s public statement doesn’t detail the “illegal activity” WikiLeaks promotes, but presumably it’s the leaking of classified information. Sometimes such leaks are indeed illegal. And sometimes classified leaks — legal or not — reveal warrantless wiretapping of Americans, secret CIA prison networks,and massive government waste hidden in black budgets. The reasoning PayPal offers for its newfound intolerance for WikiLeaks would seem to apply equally well to the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Kevin Poulsen is a senior editor at Wired.com and editor of the award-winning Threat Level blog. His new book on cybercrime, KINGPIN, comes out February 22, 2011 from Crown.
Follow @kpoulsen on Twitter.Tags: Censorship, WikiLeaks
U.S. Scans Afghan Inmates for #Biometric Database | Danger Room | Wired.com
U.S. Scans Afghan Inmates for Biometric Database
- By Spencer Ackerman
- August 25, 2010 |
- 12:37 pm |
- Categories: Af/Pak
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Don’t think of the U.S. military’s new Detention Facility In Parwan as just a holding pen for suspected insurgents. It’s also an emerging datafarm, storing biometric information on its inmate population. In a country with a shaky commitment to the rule of law, those identifiers could become weapons.Parwan, with its thousand-or-so detainee population, will become an Afghan-run detention complex next year. By 2014, it’ll become a major Afghan jail, run by the Ministry of Justice to incarcerate convicted criminals, not hold insurgents taken off the battlefield. But Army Brigadier General Mark Martins, who currently runs day-to-day operations at the detention center, explains that there’s a basic problem with Afghanistan’s criminal justice system: It doesn’t have a efficient information infrastructure to identify the people it holds. That’s where he comes in.
Every detainee who comes into Parwan leaves basic information with the Detainee Services Branch during in-processing: Name; father’s name; residence. A mark of any identifying scars, marks or tattoos. Residence of record. After a shower and a medical exam, the DSB scans their irises and collects prints from all of their fingers, rolling their thumbs for a 360-degree view. Its cameras snap five photographs of every detainee’s face. All of this information goes into a military database called the Automated Biometric Information System.
Troops in the field can access the system through a set of portable consoles that the DSB has on hand. The Biometrics Automated Toolset, or BAT, allows troops who detain insurgents on the battlefield to get a quick biometric identification of who they’ve captured, all through talking to the database. One clunky component of it, the Handheld Interagency Identity Detection System (HIIDE), which looks like a big black FunSaver, takes pictures of a captive’s irises, facial features and fingerprints. BATS and HIIDE were used in Iraq, where counterinsurgents like David Kilcullen praised the devices for allowing troops to quickly and positively identify known insurgents during the surge.
But any detective will tell you that a database is only as good as the data it contains. And after 30 years of war, Afghanistan isn’t really in the data-collection game. The U.S. military’s detentions command, known as Joint Task Force-435, is working with the Afghan Ministry of Interior to kick-start an up-to-date records program.
Martins says he and the ministry want “enrollments on 15 percent of fighting-age males,” Afghans between the ages of 14 and 49. Studies that he’s seen convince him that 15 percent represents a Gladwellian tipping point, allowing the U.S. and the Afghans to match exponentially more latent fingerprints off homemade bombs to Afghans in the system.
But that means biometric information about one million people. And the easiest way to get this information is by locking up a whole lot of Afghans and collecting it against their will, one of the reasons that human rights advocates are wary about the U.S.’s plans to turn over Parwan to the Afghans.
In Iraq, privacy advocates raised similar concerns about weaponizing the biometrics database — essentially, turning it into a military hit list. Afghanistan is filled with corruption, fraud and malicious police officers. Its commitment to the rule of law is, to be charitable, immature. In such a circumstance, a counterinsurgency tool like the biometric database just as easily become predatory, allowing its possessors to take out their political or ethnic rivals and reward their allies. If the WikiLeaks disclosures put Afghans in danger, imagine what iris scans and fingerprints could mean for people who don’t want to pay bribes to crooked cops.
“That’s a policy-significant issue,” Martins admits, “Who holds the data?” According to an October memorandum signed by the U.S. and Afghan governments, the Afghans will. The U.S. might see its collected records become the “biometric component of a national ID” Martins says, good for property ownership records, establishing credit lines and other economic behavior. But first, the biometrics database will be “MOI’s data,” in the hands of the security services — the legacy of ten years of U.S. detention operations in Afghanistan.
Credit: DoD Biometrics
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Saturday, December 4, 2010
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