Wikileaks release of embassy cables

[Tom]

meh, they can't block p2p sites, and if Wikileaks goes down I suspect everything will just get released that way.

 

[Ch3tan]

This is just getting silly now. The open way that world governments are persecuting Wikileaks is bordering on criminal.

With the suspension of their accounts it's almost as if they are being treated as a terrorist group. So much for freedom of speech, that cornerstone of democracy.

 

[Tom]

If you're Barack Obama, you promise open government and get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing.

If you're Julian Assange, you actually help to open the government to scrutiny, and get an arrest warrant for your troubles.

 

[ECA]

What's dumb is that if the documents were leaked to a newspaper - the newspaper is protected under US law. It most definitely falls under the public interest defence and espionage requires a burden of proven intent to harm the the country.

Wikileaks is no different than a regular media entity but because of the figurehead nature of Assange and the republicans being ridiculous douchenozzles they're going so OTT that they're trying to label him a terrorist and newt gingrich ( former speaker of the house ) wants Assange declared an enemy combatant so they can actually kill him.

Fucking crazy republicans.

 

[Ch3tan]

Also the swiss have given up their act of neutrality.

 

[ECA]

Can't complain about the swiss thing - he opened an account with a domestic customer only account ( ie swiss residents only ) when he wasn't. When they realised they closed his account.

 

[Ch3tan]

Do you not think it's convenient they decided to do this now though?

 

[Aoami]

Maybe they didn't know until he became famous

 

[rynnor]

It would make a good farce - there was a 'security advisor' on the Beeb this morning saying how the latest release was a gamechanger because terrorists didnt realise they could target soft targets.

I mean what was 9/11 or 7/7 if not a terrorist attack on a soft target??

Someone pays for this guys advice?

 

[Tom]

I'd like these governments to show me one person who has demonstrably been injured or killed as a result of Wikileaks' actions.

 

[TdC]

erm, not to be rude or anything, but I don't think you're giving the terrs enough credit.

 

[TdC]

that was to rynnor btw, not you Tom.

 

[rynnor]

This is an interesting read - how to censor without violating the first amendment: Amazon and WikiLeaks - Online Speech is Only as Strong as the Weakest Intermediary | Electronic Frontier Foundation

 

[Zenith.UK]

insurance.aes256

I'm just waiting for the passphrase to insurance.aes256 to be released to the public WHEN Wikileaks and Assange go down.

If this insurance file really is an encrypted backup of the Wikileaks site, it could be MORE damaging because WL have been voluntarily redacting some of the information. If it gets out into the wild, there'll be no redaction and a lot more red faces.

openssl ready to rock...

 

[rynnor]

Nice one Zenith - I shall keep an eye on it

 

[Helme]

There's an quite intresting arguement made by a few people that believe the US is intentionally over-reacting, so they can push something akin to the Patriot act for the internet. Looking at US history with websites it disagrees with it's not that much of a leap.

 

[rynnor]

There's an quite intresting arguement made by a few people that believe the US is intentionally over-reacting, so they can push something akin to the Patriot act for the internet. Looking at US history with websites it disagrees with it's not that much of a leap.

Its possible - they are certainly talking up the 'threat' of these files going public.

 

[chipper]

its as simple as this. if your gonna push around governments and make them look like twats, dont be surprised when it comes back and hits you full force in the face. what do the ppl at wikileaks think was going to happen? nothing?

now you can quote freedom of speech and whatever else you like but the simple fact is if the ppl at the top dont like it they will do something about it.

they haven't embarassed just one nation this time they've done it to every major power on the planet, to be honest they are fools for thinking they could get away with it without any comeback so the smear campaigns DDOS attacks are not really a shock

im not defending the governments but at the same time im not defending wikileaks.

 

[Tom]

When you think about this, its just a few hundred people in the USA who are growing increasingly annoyed that their unquestioned supremacy is being undermined by some blonde computer bloke on the internet.

If anything, it demonstrates just how easily the edifice can be cracked. I think Julian Assange should be voted Time's Person of the Year. In fact, you can help achieve this yourself:

Full List - Who Will Be TIME's 2010 Person of the Year? - TIME

I like how Assange's solicitor today called Malcolm Rifkind "an imbecile"

 

[TdC]

I voted. also, I firmly believe WL is fighting the good fight. extremely curious as to how this is going to develop.

 

[Zenith.UK]

The top 3 on the Time 2010 list as of when I cast my vote...

Rank    Name               Avg. Rating  Total Votes
  1   Julian Assange           90         219304
  2   Recep Tayyip Erdogan     83         212773
  3   Lady Gaga                74         132225

 

[TdC]

thank god Gaga's in the top 3. renews my faith in humanity!

 

[Sar]

He's just been nicked by the Met.

Fucking joke what's happened to him tbh, stitched up, DDOS'd, domain name nicked etc. America really don't like being shown up, do they?

 

[old.Tohtori]

He's just been nicked by the Met.

Fucking joke what's happened to him tbh, stitched up, DDOS'd, domain name nicked etc. America really don't like being shown up, do they?

Might seem like a joke, but if you had the resources, wouldn't you get a black ops team to slap people on the internet?

A ha! Made you think didn't i

 

[Embattle]

He's just been nicked by the Met.

Fucking joke what's happened to him tbh, stitched up, DDOS'd, domain name nicked etc. America really don't like being shown up, do they?

Well lets be honest it can't be ignored, esp once all the forms and everything was completed properly.

 

[Chilly]

Im quite annoyed that our government has a pathological need to lie to us about everything. Take the case of the libyan bomber fella, megrahi or whatever. Why not just admit we dont want to rock the boat and made a prisoner exchange deal instead of going on about compassionate grounds and illness?

Either way the people who are going to be annoyed will be annoyed, but at least telling the truth gives the people involved a shred of credibility in the future.

 

[Raven]

Labour*


Not that I would expect any different from our current government...

 

[rynnor]

Im quite annoyed that our government has a pathological need to lie to us about everything. Take the case of the libyan bomber fella, megrahi or whatever. Why not just admit we dont want to rock the boat and made a prisoner exchange deal instead of going on about compassionate grounds and illness?

In a word - the Yanks - we didnt want to upset em too much so this was the diplomatic way to present it - we got an oil deal out of it and tbh the evidence against the guy was very shaky so everyones a winner.

Having to tell the truth all the time would be a major handicap diplomatically - its a bit like having co-workers who you dont like. You could either keep stum and work together or you could tell em what you think of em but likely cause issues.

 

[ECA]

Anyone seen the cable+related articles that US company Dyncorp arranged sex/drug parties for afghan trainees with underage child prostitutes yet?

Can't believe it isn't getting massive press coverage instead of the assange being arrested crap.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/12/wikileaks_texas_company_helped.php
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/02/foreign-contractors-hired-dancing-boys

 

[ECA]

MOD Director General promises that steps have been taken to protect US interests in the Iraq War Enquiry:

10. (S/NF) Day also promised that the UK had "put measures in place to protect your interests" during the UK inquiry into the causes of the Iraq war. He noted that Iraq seems no longer to be a major issue in the U.S., but he said it would become a big issue -- a "feeding frenzy" -- in the UK "when the inquiry takes off."

US embassy cables: Fears over safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons | World news | guardian.co.uk