The Wikileaks Monster

[AdminAssistant]

Given the fact that Russia, China, Iran etc don't really go all in for the whole 'due process' thing, (opting for Greenday's preferred solution to the problem) is it any real surprised that western secrets are leaked more often?

So, he isn't doing this in an effort to expose the "vile things" done by governments, as Russia, China, Iran, and significant portions of Africa do things that even the slimiest American politician or general would never dream of. He's just trying to stir up trouble, by revealing that the American ambassador to France thinks that the Italian ambassador to France is totally hot. Gotcha.

The guy is a paranoid nutter who can't keep his dick in his pants, but he's not a spy, and he's not a traitor.

Actually, he is a spy. He's in the business of gathering and releasing classified information. He's a spy. The people that give him the information are probably being handsomely rewarded for it. Therefore, he's higher on the food chain and a higher priority target than the flunkies out gathering the information. Stop him, and you stop the people that were stealing info so they could sell it to him.

[Andara Bledin]

So, he isn't doing this in an effort to expose the "vile things" done by governments, as Russia, China, Iran, and significant portions of Africa do things that even the slimiest American politician or general would never dream of.

The network he currently heads can only give out information that they receive. You can release what you don't have in the first place.

^-.-^

[Evandril]

I've not read the data on the site (I'm part of the military, and we're forbidden from doing so), but I do know that diplomatic information being revealed is *NOT* something I want happening. If you think we shouldn't be allowed to be 'dishonest', next time you're shopping for a car, tell the salesperson exactly what you're willing to spend, and how much you love the car you're looking at... Do I feel the people who leaked/sold/ect the information should be prosecuted? Of course, they knowingly broke the law.... But it's not a case of only one person doing anything wrong. If you mistakenly leave your wallet someplace, and someone finds it, and puts your credit card info online, would you be happy about this fact? It's just publishing information you were careless with... (If unclear, I'm not saying buying something with the card, I'm saying putting the info online so others can access it...still a bit of a stretch, but I have no doubt that if credit card info had been presented to the website, it'd have been offered up to the public)

[BlaqueKatt]

If you mistakenly leave your wallet someplace, and someone finds it, and puts your credit card info online, would you be happy about this fact? It's just publishing information you were careless with... (If unclear, I'm not saying buying something with the card, I'm saying putting the info online so others can access it...still a bit of a stretch, but I have no doubt that if credit card info had been presented to the website, it'd have been offered up to the public)

and judging from the response in this thread-only government level secrets are ok to leak...people's private info(given up willing by the people themselves) is sacred daggummit!

[Greenday]

The network he currently heads can only give out information that they receive. You can release what you don't have in the first place.

^-.-^

It's still illegal to publicly post received information.

[Andara Bledin]

Next up: Swiss bank account member information!

WikiLeaks given Swiss bank account data

And, back to a previous entry:

Tweeting tyrants out of Tunisia: the global Internet at its best
The relevance is on page 2.

^-.-^

[draco664]

So, he isn't doing this in an effort to expose the "vile things" done by governments, as Russia, China, Iran, and significant portions of Africa do things that even the slimiest American politician or general would never dream of. He's just trying to stir up trouble, by revealing that the American ambassador to France thinks that the Italian ambassador to France is totally hot. Gotcha.

So you take what I wrote, twist it to suit your own misconceptions, and post it as fact. Gotcha.

My point, which appears to be a vapour trail above your head, was that people getting secrets from China et al are risking their lives and perhaps even the lives of their families to do so. The people going after secrets of the US/UK etc are risking jail time.

Can you spot the difference? Can you also infer that there might be more people willing to risk jail to release secrets than those willing to risk their lives?

Seriously dude, have you actually *read* the documents WL has released over the years? The first one was an assassination order against Somali government officials signed by a senior cleric. There are documents detailing illegal banking activities by Swiss, British and Icelandic Banks, Scientology bibles, operating manuals for Gitmo, proof of African leaders' corruption with international aid funds, phone records of Peruvian leaders during the oil scandal, Iranian nuclear accidents and the internet blacklists of several countries, including Assange's native Australia.

The docs WL have posted have brought down the Icelandic banks, forced the US government to admit they were restricting access of the Red Cross to certain Gitmo prisoners despite their claims to the contrary, proved that Trafigura, a multi-billion-pound company were involved in dumping toxic waste off the coast of Africa, leading to 15 deaths.

The piddling diplomatic gossip being posted now that are getting the US government's panties in a twist? Inconsequential. Good only for gossip mags. I'm sorry if that offends you, but compared to what WL have released in the past, it's not that exciting.

The problem is that the recent stuff is embarassing a lot of people who usually sit out of the glare of public scrutiny. Diplomats and ambassadors. High level civil servants. These aren't the people who get voted into power. But they are ruthless and determined to fuck Assange over any way they can.

Actually, he is a spy. He's in the business of gathering and releasing classified information. He's a spy.

He is not a spy. It doesn't matter how many times you say he is, it does not make him so. The people who collect and release the information may be guilty of espionage. Assange receives information, and publishes it. He sees himself as a fearless investigative reporter, ruthlessly ferretting out the truth.

He is, in fact, an unbelivably gigantic twat, who has let prior good work and success go to his head. He idiotically publishes anything he gets his hands on, regardless of the merits of doing so. There is no public interest in "who said what to whom when he really meant this" diplomatic cables.

The people that give him the information are probably being handsomely rewarded for it.

Yeah, that Bradley Manning is just rolling in it. And Wikileaks has mattresses full of gold bullion and only keep the 'donation' link on their page because you can't get change for a million-dollar-bill when buying coffee.

No, wait, he isn't, and they don't. I guess that the people releasing the documents are really just doing it because they think they should, or because they are just arseholes and are doing it to piss as many people off as they can.

Wikileaks (& Assange) have done good things in the past. They have brought secrets into the public domain that really needed to be there. Banks fucking us over. Corporations polluting and killing. Government corruption. All things that I'm glad have been brought to light. Now, Assange seems to have given in to his messianic complex and his idiotic hatred of the US. Wikileaks should cut him loose and get back to what they were doing before.

[Greenday]

The people who collect and release the information may be guilty of espionage. Assange receives information, and publishes it. He sees himself as a fearless investigative reporter, ruthlessly ferretting out the truth.

So Assange collects and releases the information gathered by spies who stole the information. I'm pretty sure there's a word for that. I think it's called...espionage.

[Gravekeeper]

So Assange collects and releases the information gathered by spies who stole the information. I'm pretty sure there's a word for that. I think it's called...espionage.

You're twisting that harder than Huckabee.

PS. Disclosing and publishing classified information under the US criminal code ranges from a fine to 10 years in prison max. So even if you could get him here and figure out a way to charge him with US law thats not going to fall apart under cross examination, you still don't get to put a bullet in his head.

Is the guy an asshole? Sure. But he's not some sort of terrorist supervillain. He's a twat with a website.

[Andara Bledin]

I think it's called...espionage.

I'm pretty sure this was addressed.

The people who collect and release the information may be guilty of espionage.

Oh, yeah. It was.

Inconsequential. Good only for gossip mags.

And revolutions. Don't forget Tunisia.

For those who haven't followed my previous links, Tunisia was ripe for revolt and one of the things that made it happen now included some of the cables WL released that included comments that showed that the US was aware of how bad things were over there and the writer's obvious support for the side of the people over the now-former president.

There was a lot more to it than that, of course, including support from Anonymous, which again wouldn't have happened without the release of those cables.

^-.-^