The Wiki With More Leaks Than A BP Oil Rig

[Seil]

It's WikiLeaks! (http://wikileaks.org/)

So apparently some pretty serious stuff is being leaked on a Wiki site. (http://www.google.ca/search?q=%22wikileaks%22&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=nl&source=univ&tbs=nws:1&tbo=u&ei=yTlWTNzLOYyWsgPs74HbAg&sa=X&oi=news_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDgQsQQwAw&cts=1280719344345)

According to Wikipedia, Wikileaks is

WikiLeaks or Wikileaks is an international organization based in Sweden[2] that publishes anonymous submissions and leaks of otherwise unavailable documents while preserving the anonymity of sources. Its website, launched in 2006, is run by The Sunshine Press.[1] The organization has described itself as having been founded by Chinese dissidents, as well as journalists, mathematicians, and start-up company technologists from the U.S., Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa.[1] Newspaper articles and The New Yorker magazine (June 7, 2010) describe Julian Assange, an Australian journalist and Internet activist, as its director.[3] Within a year of its launch, the site claimed a database that had grown to more than 1.2 million documents.[4]

Okay, so looking at the news about the site, it seems that there are quite a lot of stories of people being put into peril or putting others in peril by releasing confidential information onto the new wiki-site.

So why isn't it being shut down?

[Kim]

So why isn't it being shut down? [/color]

1. Because confidentiality is bullshit a vast majority of the time. It's just a way to cover up mistakes.

2. Because the people being put at risk thing is being largely exaggerated because the government doesn't like people knowing what it's doing. (Which is all the more reason we should know)

[Fifthfiend]

Whenever the various assholes who run the government start talking about national security, what they actually mean is "asshole security", that is, the security of assholes to do any dumb asshole thing they want without having to own up to it or face any actual consequences or be even briefly embarrassed, no matter how much it harms the actual safety and well-being of Americans.

The actual story is that the documented proof US government is paying the government of Pakistan to run the insurgency against us, along with the various awful acts documented by the released documents, the shit about OH NO OUR CLASSIFIEDS, WE ARE SUDDENLY REAL CONCERNED AOBUT OAR TROOFPS is the standard bullshit-screen thrown up in response to every major revelation of government fuckuppitude that has occurred since this war (and the other war in Iraq that's still going on) began.

If our government were actually concerned about security or the troop's lives or whatever it would get us out of wars that serve no purpose other than the manufacturing of more people who hate us which we can then kill and/or be killed by, but instead it's concerned about whatever the fuck else.

EDIT Also in all likelihood the people who leak these things are the actual patriots who sincerely do give a fuck about the safety of americans and believe that bringing this sort of information to light is their only chance of changing the situation for the better, oftentimes after their efforts to effect change from inside the national security apparatus have failed.

[Osterbaum]

So why isn't it being shut down?
According to a WikiLeaks leak, they've already had such plans (http://wikileaks.org/wiki/U.S._Intelligence_planned_to_destroy_WikiLeaks,_18 _Mar_2008). Also this (http://wikileaks.org/wiki/US_Lawmakers_Want_to_Criminalize_Whistleblower_Sit es_Over_TSA_Leak). Those are just off the front page.

[Amake]

Interesting tidbit: The sources of journalists in Sweden are guaranteed anonymity in the local equalient of the constitution (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryckfrihetsf%C3%B6rordningen).

I find it sad that not more countries have that sort of freedom. But hey, at least we have Wikileaks.

[Jagos]

I really must warn that there are going to be some backlashes of this leak. Namely, I did read about the Taliban going through the files for their own investigations and proceeding to kill people that were friendly to the US.

[Aerozord]

As I tell people, this is the age we live in. Internet is already getting to the point that you can decentralize the flow of information to the point its impossible to stop. If these people are serious they probably have a private server or ten that they keep hidden. Information is free now, no matter what it is.

However the actual use of this is questionable. I mean its a wiki, goverment for example can jump in and fiddle with whatever info is out there. Its digital so no hard evidence. This is more likely to create conspiracy nuts and paranoia then inform the masses. Most humans like their little bubbles, and get very defensive when their idea of the truth gets threatened.

[RobinStarwing]

As I said in an earlier thread, the founder is highly biased himself. He is highly against the wars and US Government so whatever he spews should be taken with a grain of salt.

By the way, one of the things leaked is that our Drones are susceptible to Satellite Failure. All that is needed is the know-how and right equipment and someone can steal a Predator or Reaper Drone equipped with Hellfire Missiles.

Terrorist Attack in the US anyone? For those not in the know...Hellfire is an ANTI-ARMOR missile. This is something designed to kill tanks as tough as our own. Think what kind of blast power this could have against a school, church, or mall?

Or how about China getting this technology for it's own good or someone wanting to make ALOT of money selling this to the highest bidder on the Black Market for weapons?

I'd say the release of this weakness in the recent leak of the Afghan War Documents is something to worry about.

[CABAL49]

This just popped up on my browser. http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/02/wikileaks.suspect/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

The leading suspect in the leaking of thousands of military documents to WikiLeaks had been disciplined at least twice in the previous three years but maintained his security clearance.
Pfc. Bradley Manning already was facing military charges for allegedly leaking a 2007 Iraq battle video to the WikiLeaks website and for downloading sensitive documents. Now, according to military sources, he is the lead suspect in the investigation into the leaked documents.
But the recent incidents are not his first brushes with problems in the Army. CNN confirmed that during his training to become an intelligence analyst, Manning was reprimanded by commanders at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

[01d55]

As I said in an earlier thread, the founder is highly biased himself. He is highly against the wars and US Government so whatever he spews should be taken with a grain of salt.
If by "biased" you mean "Is willing to draw totally obvious conclusions from provably true facts," then yeah he is totally biased (this is the definition which rules in big corporate media).
I'd say the release of this weakness in the recent leak of the Afghan War Documents is something to worry about.
I would say that the release of drones with such a weakness into a battlefield environment is something to worry about, but not as much as the fact that we are using killer robots to murder people for the sake of spending a lot of money on killer robots and fuck all else.

[Fifthfiend]

Pronouncements from the government, which according to its own internal documents has repeatedly lied and concealed/manipulated the truth, should be taken with no grains of salt at all.

[Aerozord]

ultimately I think any security leak that might occur is ultimately minor. These people have elaborate spy networks that can get them far more credible information. Those lacking such a network such as low level terrorists care nothing for flaws in high level military hardware as they have no intent to directly combat it. terrorists by their very nature do not attack military targets.

The drone flaw, if true, is just plain stupid. Such a thing should never get into active duty

[CABAL49]

The drone flaw, if true, is just plain stupid. Such a thing should never get into active duty

You've never heard of the Osprey have you? They took it back into R&D because it was so damn dangerous that no one wanted it. Except the Marines.

[Aerozord]

oh I didn't say they wouldn't, or that it hadn't happened. Just that it was really, really, stupid

[Jagos]

You've never heard of the Osprey have you? They took it back into R&D because it was so damn dangerous that no one wanted it. Except the Marines.

They're cannon fod Marines. They always get the scrap.

[Flarecobra]

And yet they made it work. Hell, it's in the process of replacing the Marine's old CH-46Es, and it's become a workhorse.

[RobinStarwing]

Don't dis Marines people. *points at Flare*

And somethings aren't found out till you get them in the field and use them. They probably didn't know about the Drone weakness till AFTER it was in the field for some time.

[CABAL49]

And yet they made it work. Hell, it's in the process of replacing the Marine's old CH-46Es, and it's become a workhorse.

Yeah after several deaths and a recall of the whole thing and rebuilding half of it. It should have been made safe before they sent it out into the field. There is a reason why none of the other branches wanted it.

[RobinStarwing]

Yeah after several deaths and a recall of the whole thing and rebuilding half of it. It should have been made safe before they sent it out into the field. There is a reason why none of the other branches wanted it.


And somethings aren't found out till you get them in the field and use them.

I learned to do a double quote in the same post! Still holds true.

[Flarecobra]

Yeah after several deaths and a recall of the whole thing and rebuilding half of it. It should have been made safe before they sent it out into the field. There is a reason why none of the other branches wanted it.

I have yet to see anything of any Marine Corps crashes while in active service. In fact...

2000 combat flight hours with no problems. (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/02/08/osprey/index.html) In fact, they're even being considered for a replacement for the presidental helicopter. (http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/05/military_osprey_boeing_050510w/)

The Air Force lost one, but that's because of pilot error. (http://www.dodbuzz.com/2010/05/18/cv-22-lost-due-to-pilot-error/)

[CABAL49]

I have yet to see anything of any Marine Corps crashes while in active service. In fact...

]

My mistake, the deaths reported were all during training exercises. Not active service.

[Magus]

From what I could tell after watching an interview with the guy who wrote a book on the Osprey, it's either the best plane ever or the worst depending on who you talk to.

As for the Wikileaks, I welcome it wholeheartedly. As for civilians who help the U.S. supposedly being targeted by the Taliban, I highly doubt these documents are telling the Taliban anything they don't already know. Hell, one guy on TV tried to say that telling the Taliban that the Taliban has portable surface-to-air missiles was dangerous. Because I guess the Taliban doesn't already know that the Taliban has portable missiles?

EDIT: Oh, and about Wikileaks not being reliable because it's a Wiki that can be edited, from what I can tell it's not that kind of Wiki. I'm not even sure why it's called a Wiki.

[Jagos]

Mainly to do with anyone can submit data. The rest, I have no idea about.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Wikileaks isn't freely editable- it's freely submittable ie documents. All the article summaries are written by their staff and they attempt to ensure the accuracy of all documents before publishing.