Openleaks, the rival site to wikileaks started up by one time Assange friend and comrade Daniel Domschelt-Berg aka. Daniel Schmitt, has now gone live.
You can see it at openleaks.
Openleaks is run by two members currently, Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Herbert Snorrason, both no stranger to controversy as both worked closely with Assange at wikileaks intil they left citing disagreements with the direction wikileaks was taking.
The site is very much at a just open shop stage and very basic at the moment. Just an explaination of who and what they are, what they do and how they will operate. Contact details are provided. PayPal gained no fans by closing off the wikileaks account and shutting out of circulation the funds donated by many people, (I wonder what they are doing with the money? making some interest no doubt).
Openleaks, instead, offer alternative payment options for donations to Paypal and prior services. These are Flattr, Paysafe, UKash and Webmoney. A once bitten twice shy policy.
Of course there are no juicy tit bits of news or leaks as yet. Given the issues Wikileaks has had with some media outlets there is a potential opportunity to latch onto these and replace wikileaks as the 'preferred' supplier of exposes.
Which brings to mind the question. How many more '****leaks' style websites are going to spring up in the coming year?
Perhaps we will see, "exposedleaks.com" and 'transparentleaks.com' and many more imaginative names.
It is certain that governmental hiding of crimes from their populace is very much yesteryear. Transparancy is the name of the game now. this means more honestly and culpability by governments is going to become more prevalent. NWO eat your heart out!
Hey here's a new name for you, 'inyourfaceleaks.com'!
Julian Assange
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Bank of America and Wikileaks
Even without issuing anything about the Bank of America (BOA), Wikileaks has succeeeded in changing the BOA share price just by the merest of hints.
Not only that but the Bank of America is moving into high gear with a"War Room' created to try and undercut potential threats to the bank.
this war room startede by initiating the buying up of hundreds of derogatory internat domain names, such as BankofAmericaSucks.com and BrianMoynihanblows.com (BofA's CEO)for example as a way of limiting potential damage.
The bank already has a battery of law suits to contend with. According to Truthout:
"BofA is already under the gun, defending itself from multiple lawsuits from private investors as well as Fannie and Freddie demanding that the bank buy back billions worth of toxic mortgages-backed securities. The firm stopped issuing subprime mortgages in 2001, but it kept underwriting subprime mortgage-backed securities for many years. In September 2009, for example, BofA underwrote $239 million worth of securities backed by subprime loans. BofA has reserved $4.4 billion for these "put back" lawsuits. If Assange has emails showing that top executives at BofA knew they were peddling toxic dreck to investors, it would rock the firm and give tremendous ammunition to the army of lawyers already knocking on BofA's door."
And then there is the reckless and illegal foreclosures issue.
"BofA is at the heart of the robo-signing scandal and has wrongfully foreclosed on countless American families. One poor woman returned to a vacation home to find it locked, all her possessions gone -- including the ashes of her late husband. How could such a mistake be made? A BofA employee deposed in February 2010 said that she signed as many as 8,000 foreclosure documents a month without reviewing them, in violation of the law. Mounting questions about the fraudulent and illegal foreclosure practices at the big banks and mortgage service companies prompted BofA to temporarily halt foreclosures nationwide in October 2010. If Wikileaks can document that top BofA officials have a callous disregard for legal processes and constitutionally protected property rights, BofA's mounting legal liability may not be sustainable."
The list goes on. And this is only what is public knowledge. It brings into question the governances practices of the Board of Directors and CEO Brian Moynihan whos income for 2009 was $800,000.00 with Restricted stock awards of $5,200,000.00
and other bits and pieces beringing his Total Compensation to $6,511,468.00.
Actually not a lot compared to many banks. Even bank CEOs in Australia earn (I say earn, I mean get paid) much more than that.
But whatever wikileaks has on the bank, if anything,it is sure to be a dozy.
Not only that but the Bank of America is moving into high gear with a"War Room' created to try and undercut potential threats to the bank.
this war room startede by initiating the buying up of hundreds of derogatory internat domain names, such as BankofAmericaSucks.com and BrianMoynihanblows.com (BofA's CEO)for example as a way of limiting potential damage.
The bank already has a battery of law suits to contend with. According to Truthout:
"BofA is already under the gun, defending itself from multiple lawsuits from private investors as well as Fannie and Freddie demanding that the bank buy back billions worth of toxic mortgages-backed securities. The firm stopped issuing subprime mortgages in 2001, but it kept underwriting subprime mortgage-backed securities for many years. In September 2009, for example, BofA underwrote $239 million worth of securities backed by subprime loans. BofA has reserved $4.4 billion for these "put back" lawsuits. If Assange has emails showing that top executives at BofA knew they were peddling toxic dreck to investors, it would rock the firm and give tremendous ammunition to the army of lawyers already knocking on BofA's door."
And then there is the reckless and illegal foreclosures issue.
"BofA is at the heart of the robo-signing scandal and has wrongfully foreclosed on countless American families. One poor woman returned to a vacation home to find it locked, all her possessions gone -- including the ashes of her late husband. How could such a mistake be made? A BofA employee deposed in February 2010 said that she signed as many as 8,000 foreclosure documents a month without reviewing them, in violation of the law. Mounting questions about the fraudulent and illegal foreclosure practices at the big banks and mortgage service companies prompted BofA to temporarily halt foreclosures nationwide in October 2010. If Wikileaks can document that top BofA officials have a callous disregard for legal processes and constitutionally protected property rights, BofA's mounting legal liability may not be sustainable."
The list goes on. And this is only what is public knowledge. It brings into question the governances practices of the Board of Directors and CEO Brian Moynihan whos income for 2009 was $800,000.00 with Restricted stock awards of $5,200,000.00
and other bits and pieces beringing his Total Compensation to $6,511,468.00.
Actually not a lot compared to many banks. Even bank CEOs in Australia earn (I say earn, I mean get paid) much more than that.
But whatever wikileaks has on the bank, if anything,it is sure to be a dozy.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
No Link Between Bradley Manning and Assange
NBC news Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski reports that the Pentagon acknowledges that its investigators “have been unable to make any direct connection between” Manning’s alleged leaking of the documents in question, and Assange. If this is true it will likely present serious obstacles to US-based criminal proceedings against Assange.According to The Registar, NBC news, citing unnamed investigating officials, state US authorities have been unable to find conclusive proof that Wikileaks' vast stashes of secret material – the Baghdad attack-copter videos, Afghanistan and Iraq "war logs" and now the endless mountains of US diplomatic cables being drip-fed by the site – were passed to it by Private Bradley Manning, incarcerated for over 260 days in a US Marine Corps brig (jail) in Virginia.
Meanwhile, Manning, has been subjected to sleep deprivation, barred from exercising in the slightest, and recently, improperly placed by the Quantico base commander on suicide watch - meaning his clothing and his reading glasses were removed. This was "punishment" for "disobeying" the orders of the guards. However, after news of this order got out and the resultant publicity over it, the commander rescinded the order, even being upbraded by the Pentagon for allegedly overstepping his authority. A useful indication that public pressure in this case can help.
The blatant aim of this abuse, now being investigated by a UN human rights investigator, has been to crush his spirit, in hopes of getting him to agree to implicate Julian Assange into inducing him to leak the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, visual tapes of Iraq and Afghan war reports, as well as the helicopter murder, now known as the "Collateral Murder" video, and US State Department cables, all of which have been undermining the US war effort and the US diplomatic agenda.
They are failing, it seems, because Manning has more ethics than those that have incarcerated him without a trial for half a year.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Fear
The catch cry of Homeland security is, 'If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.'
Of course, this does apply to the US Government, an alledged democracy who attacks Wikileaks because "they released some embarressing information about the crooked politicians and diplomats." The politicians, on the one hand, tell the little people, "If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear." Yet are so afraid of 'being found out' themselves. instead the call is now for gun laws to be tightened up to restruict the use of illegal guns.
Don't make me laugh. Illegal guns are not restricted by laws anymore than criminals are. If they were we would have no criminals, yet, there they are. The definition of a criminal is soneone that breaks the law. Enacting more laws simply provide more laws to break.
Attacking Wikileaks for embarrasing law breakers is a wrong target.
How about cleaning up the crooked politicians. Or is it too much to ask getting some ethics and real honest justice applied. Unless of course it is the crooked politicians making the decisions?
Nothing to hide, nothing to fear? Perhaps The US government should look to clean up its own act first.
Of course, this does apply to the US Government, an alledged democracy who attacks Wikileaks because "they released some embarressing information about the crooked politicians and diplomats." The politicians, on the one hand, tell the little people, "If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear." Yet are so afraid of 'being found out' themselves. instead the call is now for gun laws to be tightened up to restruict the use of illegal guns.
Don't make me laugh. Illegal guns are not restricted by laws anymore than criminals are. If they were we would have no criminals, yet, there they are. The definition of a criminal is soneone that breaks the law. Enacting more laws simply provide more laws to break.
Attacking Wikileaks for embarrasing law breakers is a wrong target.
How about cleaning up the crooked politicians. Or is it too much to ask getting some ethics and real honest justice applied. Unless of course it is the crooked politicians making the decisions?
Nothing to hide, nothing to fear? Perhaps The US government should look to clean up its own act first.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
InhumaneTreatment of Manning.
The US government has a lot to answer for.
i read where they upbrade China on their lack of human rights while at the same time violating ghuman rights themsevles, and when their human rights violations are exposed promptly institute further human rights violations as a response.
Nothing like being hypercritical and accusing others of the very same crimes they pursue themselves.
Take Bradley Manning for example. Kept in solitary confirment under inhummane conditions for almost 300 days, not allowed to sleep or exercise between 5 am and 8 pm.
"From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch). For the one hour per day when he is freed from this isolation, he is barred from accessing any news or current events programs. Lt. Villiard protested that the conditions are not "like jail movies where someone gets thrown into the hole," but confirmed that he is in solitary confinement, entirely alone in his cell except for the one hour per day he is taken out."
AND he is only charged and there has been no trial. Convicted prisoners are treated better than this. Justice is a joke as far as the US government is concerned. A case of do what we say or want, not what we profess.
Torturing people in the name of freedom makes a mockery of the term freedom and makes it quite apparent that freedom is NOT the purpose of the torture.
Read more here.
The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention
Bradley Manning deserves to be free
Wake up President Obama, no one believes you anymore!
i read where they upbrade China on their lack of human rights while at the same time violating ghuman rights themsevles, and when their human rights violations are exposed promptly institute further human rights violations as a response.
Nothing like being hypercritical and accusing others of the very same crimes they pursue themselves.
Take Bradley Manning for example. Kept in solitary confirment under inhummane conditions for almost 300 days, not allowed to sleep or exercise between 5 am and 8 pm.
"From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch). For the one hour per day when he is freed from this isolation, he is barred from accessing any news or current events programs. Lt. Villiard protested that the conditions are not "like jail movies where someone gets thrown into the hole," but confirmed that he is in solitary confinement, entirely alone in his cell except for the one hour per day he is taken out."
AND he is only charged and there has been no trial. Convicted prisoners are treated better than this. Justice is a joke as far as the US government is concerned. A case of do what we say or want, not what we profess.
Torturing people in the name of freedom makes a mockery of the term freedom and makes it quite apparent that freedom is NOT the purpose of the torture.
Read more here.
The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention
Bradley Manning deserves to be free
Wake up President Obama, no one believes you anymore!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cashing in on Wiklileaks
It not just book offers, now it is movie scripts.
A scramble for multimillion-pound windfalls in the shape of two feature films is now on the table.
Mr Assange has confirmed he is in discussions with a studio on the possibilty of a feature film based on his autobiography, which is expected to be published in April.
Meanwhile back at the hollywood ranch, rival Hollywood studios Josephson Entertainment and Michelle Krumm Productions have jointly bought the rights to a biopic based on Australian journalist Andrew Fowler's biography of the internet campaigner, The Most Dangerous Man in the World, which has yet to be published.
Mr Assange set up the whistleblowing website in 2006. But was largely ignored until it published embarrasing extracts of US military documents alledgedly obtained by whistleblower Bradley Manning.
Last month, Mr Assange negotiated a book deal worth more than one million pounds. "WikiLeaks Versus the World: My Story" is published in the UK and at least another 12 countries on 7 April. Other books also claiming to give the "inside story" are being rushed into print. The cashing in race is on!
Public relations consultant Mark Borkowski, who was approached to handle publicity for the website after Mr Manning's revelations, said, with no apparent irony: "It's the most compelling story of our time. It's like Bourne Identity, 24 and James Bond all coming together. The face of Julian Assange will soon replace the Che Guevara image."
Mark Stephens, Mr Assange's London-based solicitor, has confirmed his client is now in talks with Hollywood while dismissing rival projects. "We refer to [them] as the biographies of the blind. Assange has been approached by a proper studio to make one, as opposed to a film of the blind." He added that any biopic that did not involve the man himself would have difficulty navigating libel law.
The saga continues.
A scramble for multimillion-pound windfalls in the shape of two feature films is now on the table.
Mr Assange has confirmed he is in discussions with a studio on the possibilty of a feature film based on his autobiography, which is expected to be published in April.
Meanwhile back at the hollywood ranch, rival Hollywood studios Josephson Entertainment and Michelle Krumm Productions have jointly bought the rights to a biopic based on Australian journalist Andrew Fowler's biography of the internet campaigner, The Most Dangerous Man in the World, which has yet to be published.
Mr Assange set up the whistleblowing website in 2006. But was largely ignored until it published embarrasing extracts of US military documents alledgedly obtained by whistleblower Bradley Manning.
Last month, Mr Assange negotiated a book deal worth more than one million pounds. "WikiLeaks Versus the World: My Story" is published in the UK and at least another 12 countries on 7 April. Other books also claiming to give the "inside story" are being rushed into print. The cashing in race is on!
Public relations consultant Mark Borkowski, who was approached to handle publicity for the website after Mr Manning's revelations, said, with no apparent irony: "It's the most compelling story of our time. It's like Bourne Identity, 24 and James Bond all coming together. The face of Julian Assange will soon replace the Che Guevara image."
Mark Stephens, Mr Assange's London-based solicitor, has confirmed his client is now in talks with Hollywood while dismissing rival projects. "We refer to [them] as the biographies of the blind. Assange has been approached by a proper studio to make one, as opposed to a film of the blind." He added that any biopic that did not involve the man himself would have difficulty navigating libel law.
The saga continues.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wikileaks to release Swiss Bank Account Details
Rudolf Elmer, a former Swiss banker, has handed over sensitive details of the accounts of 2,000 prominent people to Julian Assange.
Wikileaks has yet to publish the data on its website, with Assange promised full disclosure once the data had been vetted.
"Once we have looked at the data... there will be full revelation," said Assange, who is currently out on bail and confined to the UK due to an extradition request from Sweden.
Elmer, who faces a trial in Switzerland for having compromised bank secrecy laws, was dismissed from Swiss bank Julius Baer as chief operating officer at Cayman Islands in 2002.
Der Sonntag, a Swiss newspaper, reported that the data includes account details of multinational companies, financial firms and wealthy individuals, including politicians, from around the world and covers the years 1990-2009.
Assange noted that some information on the discs would probably be handed over to certain British authorities, including the UK's Serious Fraud Office.
At a press conference in London, Elmer defended his decision to release the data by stating: "I'm against the system. I know how the system works. I've been there. I've done the job. I know what is the day-to-day business."
I am sure the various Tax Authorities will not complain!
Source: International Business Times
Wikileaks has yet to publish the data on its website, with Assange promised full disclosure once the data had been vetted.
"Once we have looked at the data... there will be full revelation," said Assange, who is currently out on bail and confined to the UK due to an extradition request from Sweden.
Elmer, who faces a trial in Switzerland for having compromised bank secrecy laws, was dismissed from Swiss bank Julius Baer as chief operating officer at Cayman Islands in 2002.
Der Sonntag, a Swiss newspaper, reported that the data includes account details of multinational companies, financial firms and wealthy individuals, including politicians, from around the world and covers the years 1990-2009.
Assange noted that some information on the discs would probably be handed over to certain British authorities, including the UK's Serious Fraud Office.
At a press conference in London, Elmer defended his decision to release the data by stating: "I'm against the system. I know how the system works. I've been there. I've done the job. I know what is the day-to-day business."
I am sure the various Tax Authorities will not complain!
Source: International Business Times
Latest WikiLeaks News
Wikileaks Latest News Real-Time Updates
Below is the latest news about Wikileaks updated in real-time by RSS feeds.
wikileaks – Google News
Secrets out long before WikiLeaks – Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney Morning Herald
Secrets out long before WikiLeaks
Sydney Morning Herald
The release of classified documents by WikiLeaks began soon after: an unprecedented spill of secret military reports on the war in Afghanistan and Iraq was …
and more »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 7:28 pm
Assange: The Dutch need Wikileaks right now – Radio Netherlands
Assange: The Dutch need Wikileaks right now
Radio Netherlands
Dutch newspapers and television have for days been snowed under by Wikileaks revelations about the Netherlands. Wikileaks boss Julian Assange says it's no …
Wikileaks: US pressured Labour leader over AfghanistanDutchNews.nl
Timing of Dutch Wikileaks cables not a coincidence, says AssangeDutchNews.nl
Assange: Wikileaks timing "no coincidence"Radio Netherlands
allvoices
all 12 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 7:20 pm
Wikileaks given data on Swiss bank accounts – BBC News
CTV.ca
Wikileaks given data on Swiss bank accounts
BBC News
A former Swiss banker has passed on data containing account details of 2000 prominent people to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. …
WikiLeaks to Publish Data From Ex-Julius Baer BankerBloomberg
Accounts dossier given to WikiLeaksThe Press Association
WikiLeaks: the latest developmentsThe Guardian (blog)
AFP -Channel 4 News -MarketWatch
all 980 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 6:58 pm
The Lede: Qaddafi Sees WikiLeaks Plot in Tunisia – New York Times (blog)
CTV.ca
The Lede: Qaddafi Sees WikiLeaks Plot in Tunisia
New York Times (blog)
As some American observers have pointed out, WikiLeaks did indeed release cables describing the elaborate corruption of the Ben Ali regime, …
WikiLeaked: Qaddafi mourns Tunisian dictator, rips WikiLeaksForeign Policy
Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy blames WikiLeaks, ambassadors for uprising in …New York Daily News
Tunisia Uprising called first Wikileaks revolutionScotsman
MidEastPosts -The State Column (blog) -Sify
all 8,007 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 5:47 pm
Zimbabwe AG probing Tsvangirai over WikiLeaks disclosures – CNN International
The South African Star
Zimbabwe AG probing Tsvangirai over WikiLeaks disclosures
CNN International
WikiLeaks published US cables last week saying Tsvangirai and his party leadership were planning with US diplomats for Washington to contribute to a fund to …
Zim Attorney General sets up WikiLeaks probe panelMail & Guardian Online
Confusion over WikiLeaks probe panelSW Radio Africa
Attorney General sets up WikiLeaks probe panelThe Zimbabwe Guardian
NewsDay -Times LIVE
all 24 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 5:05 pm
STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Julius Baer lower; WikiLeaks weighs – Reuters
STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Julius Baer lower; WikiLeaks weighs
Reuters
VX) fall 3.7 percent as a former executive at the private bank hands over data on 2000 offshore bank account holders to online whistleblowing site WikiLeaks …
and more »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 4:16 pm
Bank of America: Outage not related to Wikileaks – CIO UK
Computerworld New Zealand
Bank of America: Outage not related to Wikileaks
CIO UK
“This has nothing to do with malware, Wikileaks or any type of attack,” a spokesperson for the bank told Dow Jones Newswires. BofA has reportedly assembled …
BofA online banking knocked out; no WikiLeaks link.Finextra
What Does WikiLeaks Have on Bank of America?Center for Research on Globalization
Supporters Wikleaks Plan Attack on American Banking Systemallvoices
all 11 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 3:47 pm
Turkey allowed US ‘extraordinary rendition’: WikiLeaks – Economic Times
Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey allowed US 'extraordinary rendition': WikiLeaks
Economic Times
WikiLeaks has obtained some 250000 US diplomatic cables and handed them to five major news organisations: the New York Times, Der Spiegel, the Guardian, …
The WikiLeaks News & Views Blog for Monday, Day 51The Nation. (blog)
all 10 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 2:05 pm
WikiLeaks data gives fresh impetus to Pat Finucane inquiry campaign – The Guardian
The Guardian
WikiLeaks data gives fresh impetus to Pat Finucane inquiry campaign
The Guardian
"But all WikiLeaks is doing is filling the vacuum created by governments unnecessarily." Readers who know the Finucane name will understand the significance …
and more »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 12:21 pm
WikiLeaks turned the tables on governments, but the power relationship has not … – The Guardian
The Guardian
WikiLeaks turned the tables on governments, but the power relationship has not …
The Guardian
WikiLeaks "changes everything". So says Christian Caryl in the latest New York Review of Books, as the media, technology and foreign policy worlds ponder …
Applying US principles on Internet freedomSalon
all 6 news articles »
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 7:00 am
wikileaks – Yahoo! Search Results
WikiLeaks handed secret Swiss banking data
A Swiss banker, due to go on trial for breaking bank secrecy laws, has handed over account details of 2,000 multinationals, financial firms and wealthy individuals to WikiLeaks.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 7:03 pm
Wikileaks given Swiss bank data
A former Swiss banker has passed on data containing account details of 2,000 prominent people to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 6:17 pm
What WikiLeaks Needs – A Strong Graphic
“From its founding in 2006, WikiLeaks has been engaged not simply in the distribution of information but also in competition within a marketplace of ideas, reputation, perception. Part of what matters in this competition is WikiLeaks’s image: reckless, arrogant outlaws?
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 4:58 pm
WikiLeaks: Julian Assange could start publishing leaked details of Swiss bank tax accounts in two weeks
The details of thousands of wealthy bank clients who have avoided tax using offshore accounts are set to be exposed by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 4:03 pm
WikiLeaks to publish Swiss offshore bank documents
A former Swiss private banker hands over data on hundreds of offshore bank account holders from around the world to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 2:13 pm
Wikileaks to target wealthy individuals
Wealthy individuals who have avoided tax by storing their cash in offshore bank accounts are in the sights of WikiLeaks after the website’s founder Julian Assange was given a disc reportedly containing confidential bank account details.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 1:48 pm
Accounts dossier given to WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has taken delivery of a disc reportedly containing confidential bank account details of 2,000 rich and famous individuals and corporations. Related Stories Lebanese government talks on hold Dewani murder accused could return Protestant is appointed Vatican science chief Barak quits Israeli Labour Party New government unveiled in Tunisia
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 1:33 pm
Banks dossier handed to Wikileaks
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange today took delivery of a disc reportedly containing confidential bank account details of 2,000 rich and famous individuals and corporations.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 12:40 pm
Wikileaks to get Swiss bank data
A former Swiss banker is set to hand over data to Wikileaks that he says contains offshore account details of 2,000 prominent people.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 11:44 am
WikiLeaks: Julian Assange ‘happy’ after extradition hearing
Judge releases website founder on bail as he vows to keep publishing US diplomatic cables in tandem with newspapers Julian Assange today expressed his satisfaction after a procedural hearing on his extradition to Sweden and vowed that WikiLeaks would continue its work. After the hearing at Belmarsh magistrates court, Assange said he was “happy about today’s outcome” and said the skeleton …
Posted on 15 January 2011 | 9:27 pm
wikileaks – Bing News
Rudolf Elmer, whistleblower or bitter ex-banker – Sydney Morning Herald
Rudolf Elmer, the former senior Swiss bank executive who handed over secret banking data to Wikileaks on Monday, says he is a whistleblower out to expose a system of offshore tax evasion. However, Swiss private bank Julius Baer portrays Elmer as a …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:20 pm
WikiLeaks Gets Handed Secrets on Thousands of Swiss Bank Accounts – Nymag.com
In a press conference today, WikiLeaks boss Julian Assange accepted two computer disks from former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer. Stored on the disks are details on thousands of offshore bank accounts, which Elmer claims include evidence of tax evasion and …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:20 pm
Wife of deposed Tunisian leader despised by many – msnbc.com
The president did lots of good, but the family did lots of harm to Tunisia,” Gaddahi said. U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks appear to shore up that conclusion. A June 2008 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis describes a report by anti …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:20 pm
2011 Miss America Pageant: Ratings increase 47% for ABC telecast – Las Vegas Sun
Teresa’s a fantastic Miss America.” Teresa won her first applause for answering a tricky question during the pageant about the recent release of classified government files on Wikileaks. She said it was an issue of national security and not about free speech.
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:20 pm
Tunisians hail fall of ex-leader’s corrupt family – The Guardian
The president did lots of good, but the family did lots of harm to Tunisia,” Gaddahi said. U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks appear to shore up that conclusion. A June 2008 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis describes a report by anti …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:13 pm
First Amendment Remedies – DAILY KOS
The Tunisian government led by President Ben Ali has shown an outrageous level of censorship, not only blocking the websites of dissident bloggers but also sites like Flickr and any website or news source mentioning Wikileaks. In a show of blatant …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:13 pm
AAP Markets Report – ninemsn
LONDON – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he will publish secret details of offshore accounts, after a Swiss banking whistleblower handed over data on 2,000 purportedly tax-dodging individuals and firms. GENEVA – Rudolf Elmer, the former senior Swiss …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:13 pm
Swiss banker hands secrets over to Wikileaks – msnbc.com
LONDON — A former Swiss private banker handed over data on hundreds of offshore bank account holders to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday, saying he wanted to draw attention to financial abuses. Rudolf Elmer, 55, headed the office of Julius …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:13 pm
Excitement over our Miss America – Omaha World-Herald
Scanlan won Saturday night after strutting in a black bikini and a white evening gown, playing “White Water Chopped Sticks” on piano and telling the audience that when it comes to the website Wikileaks, security should come before public access to …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:13 pm
Whistleblower hands Assange offshore bank secrets – YAHOO!
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange vowed to publish secret details of offshore accounts after a Swiss banking whistleblower handed over data Monday on 2,000 purportedly tax-dodging individuals and firms. Former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer, who worked for eight …
Posted on 17 January 2011 | 8:06 pm
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
WikiLeaks Lessons: The Party of We — Already in Control
sent by email to Wikileaks News and Updates Blog
WikiLeaks Lessons: The Party of We — Already in Control
Douglas Wood
January 13, 2011
In November 2010, I wrote an op-ed for CorpCounsel.com hypothesizing that Facebook, Google and RIM were more like virtual countries than they were global corporations, capable of exercising powers common to sovereign nations and not private industry.
Facebook, with a citizen population of over 500 million, is now the third largest nation in the world behind China and India. Google's knowledge base, accessible at lightning speed, is larger than anything maintained by any government in history. RIM's Blackberry continues to be the communication choice for international commerce.
Also See: FULL WikiLeaks Coverage | FULL Expert Archive
If that weren't enough, the personal data and tracking information in the possession and control of these three Internet nations makes the databases of any other nations on Earth look like paperback dictionaries.
The new nations of Facebook, Google and RIM have the power to control who has access, what they can distribute, and what they see. Their populations are without borders, independent, and virtual, something never before experienced.
So far, the global discourse has been balanced and fair. But the line differentiating between balanced and fair and arbitrary and dangerous is a very fine one. Is the tipping point between them on the precipice? Is a global revolution coming? Or has it already begun?
As I wrote in my November op-ed, to understand this critical tipping point in context, we need to take a lesson from history.
In 1773, a small group of revolutionaries, weary of an oppressive, distant government, held a little party in Boston by tossing crates of tea off boats in the harbor.
In 2010, another small group of self-proclaimed revolutionaries weary of what they perceived to be an oppressive, distant government held their own parties around the nation and planted an idea that influenced the nation's citizens on both sides of the political spectrum as much as the Boston Tea Party did centuries earlier in Boston.
Whether it was the Tea Party of 1773 or the Tea Party of today, the same basic principle applies to both — people united in a cause, even an unpopular one, can change the course of history. They just need a voice.
Historical changes can be breathtaking in enormity, even when they seem small in scale. In the past few weeks, we witnessed actions by a group of dissidents that seemed small, when in truth its impact was enormous. It was a tipping point that we cannot afford to let go unnoticed. Yet it was inevitable and, frankly, predictable, as works of fiction so often show us. Click here if you doubt me.
Enter Julian Assange and his Wikileaks crusade. While he's been heralded by some and vilified by others, no one can deny the impact of his small band of comrades. But it is not the politics of what Assange set loose or the danger it may or may not have caused that is the critical point.
What's most important is the tipping point, spawned not by Assange but by a new body politic — a new party of individuals bonded by commonality of interest not defined by national or geographic boundaries. The Party of We.
In response to the attacks on Wikileaks, this virtual We Party, comprised of citizens of the world, unleashed an unprecedented — and united — attack on parts of the infrastructure that transact payments and sustain eCommerce and for a brief moment shut critical parts of it down.
This was unprecedented not because it hasn't been tried before (even with some success), but because its success, however brief the moment may have been, was only reversed by those who started it and who had a change of heart. Furthermore, it was novel in its motivation not to hack a system or engage in fraud or greed, but rather in support of a cause — a belief in the idea and purity of unencumbered speech.
A small group of Assange's disciples, dedicated to transparency and open source regardless of its implication, struck with today's most potent version of a WMD — the concerted flooding of the broadband, the circulatory system of the Internet, to a point where it went into cardiac arrest. And this was done by a relatively small group of dissidents. A group smaller than the ones that started the tea parties in 1773 and 2010.
But this group has far more power than either of their predecessors and, if united in sufficient number, are unstoppable!
We — the people of the Internet — are united in a principle of freedom that challenges core philosophies of virtually every terrestrial nation on earth. Indeed, forget the debate over whether the FCC's recent ruling on net neutrality is good or bad. The real point is that whatever its purpose may be, it's too little too late. The Party of We is in control.
You (e.g., the FCC) are not in control. Extend your sovereignty in conflict with the right of We to know what We wants to know, and You risk disruption of Your economies, Your communications, Your infrastructure. Disruption that not only challenges authority but that will cost You millions, perhaps billions.
We knows no sovereign authority. The power of We is virtual and without limit when exercised in a united front. MasterCard, PayPal, and other global financial institutions felt the wrath of We in December 2010 — the tipping point. The world witnessed the rise of the Party of We.
We can communicate instantaneously to its community of over 500 million citizens on Facebook — a community that may well reach a billion in a few years. We can access all the information We needs to know from the free global library on Google, global encyclopedia on Wikipedia, and global photographic and image repository on Flickr. And whatever We needs to globally communicate, We need only send an e-mail, tweet a tweet, post a comment or video, or get LinkedIn. And it doesn't cost We a dime to do so.
But the most profound lesson in this tipping point is that while We responded responsibly and backed off the financial shutdown once the citizens of We decided they'd made a mistake and attacked innocent parties, there is no guarantee that We will always act responsibly. Or worse, We might cause unprecedented damage before We corrects its course.
Because unlike the tea parties of 1773 and 2010, the Party of We has only one plank in its platform — transparency. That is far more powerful than anything colonists in 1773 or Tea Party revelers in 2010 could conceive. And there is no defense short of shutting down the Internet and sending the world's economy back to the Dark Ages of the 20th Century.
The rise of the Party of We is the most profound tipping point in global discourse since the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia that first established the concept of sovereign nations, something we can now count as the latest entry on the list of endangered species.
Wood is a partner in the New York office of Reed Smith. He specializes in media and entertainment law and is editor of Network Interference — a Legal Guide to the Commercial Risks and Rewards of the Social Media Phenomenon, a White Paper on how social media globally impacts every level of business. The White Paper is available here. Wood can be reached at dwood@reedsmith.com or through LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
WikiLeaks Lessons: The Party of We — Already in Control
Douglas Wood
January 13, 2011
In November 2010, I wrote an op-ed for CorpCounsel.com hypothesizing that Facebook, Google and RIM were more like virtual countries than they were global corporations, capable of exercising powers common to sovereign nations and not private industry.
Facebook, with a citizen population of over 500 million, is now the third largest nation in the world behind China and India. Google's knowledge base, accessible at lightning speed, is larger than anything maintained by any government in history. RIM's Blackberry continues to be the communication choice for international commerce.
Also See: FULL WikiLeaks Coverage | FULL Expert Archive
If that weren't enough, the personal data and tracking information in the possession and control of these three Internet nations makes the databases of any other nations on Earth look like paperback dictionaries.
The new nations of Facebook, Google and RIM have the power to control who has access, what they can distribute, and what they see. Their populations are without borders, independent, and virtual, something never before experienced.
So far, the global discourse has been balanced and fair. But the line differentiating between balanced and fair and arbitrary and dangerous is a very fine one. Is the tipping point between them on the precipice? Is a global revolution coming? Or has it already begun?
As I wrote in my November op-ed, to understand this critical tipping point in context, we need to take a lesson from history.
In 1773, a small group of revolutionaries, weary of an oppressive, distant government, held a little party in Boston by tossing crates of tea off boats in the harbor.
In 2010, another small group of self-proclaimed revolutionaries weary of what they perceived to be an oppressive, distant government held their own parties around the nation and planted an idea that influenced the nation's citizens on both sides of the political spectrum as much as the Boston Tea Party did centuries earlier in Boston.
Whether it was the Tea Party of 1773 or the Tea Party of today, the same basic principle applies to both — people united in a cause, even an unpopular one, can change the course of history. They just need a voice.
Historical changes can be breathtaking in enormity, even when they seem small in scale. In the past few weeks, we witnessed actions by a group of dissidents that seemed small, when in truth its impact was enormous. It was a tipping point that we cannot afford to let go unnoticed. Yet it was inevitable and, frankly, predictable, as works of fiction so often show us. Click here if you doubt me.
Enter Julian Assange and his Wikileaks crusade. While he's been heralded by some and vilified by others, no one can deny the impact of his small band of comrades. But it is not the politics of what Assange set loose or the danger it may or may not have caused that is the critical point.
What's most important is the tipping point, spawned not by Assange but by a new body politic — a new party of individuals bonded by commonality of interest not defined by national or geographic boundaries. The Party of We.
In response to the attacks on Wikileaks, this virtual We Party, comprised of citizens of the world, unleashed an unprecedented — and united — attack on parts of the infrastructure that transact payments and sustain eCommerce and for a brief moment shut critical parts of it down.
This was unprecedented not because it hasn't been tried before (even with some success), but because its success, however brief the moment may have been, was only reversed by those who started it and who had a change of heart. Furthermore, it was novel in its motivation not to hack a system or engage in fraud or greed, but rather in support of a cause — a belief in the idea and purity of unencumbered speech.
A small group of Assange's disciples, dedicated to transparency and open source regardless of its implication, struck with today's most potent version of a WMD — the concerted flooding of the broadband, the circulatory system of the Internet, to a point where it went into cardiac arrest. And this was done by a relatively small group of dissidents. A group smaller than the ones that started the tea parties in 1773 and 2010.
But this group has far more power than either of their predecessors and, if united in sufficient number, are unstoppable!
We — the people of the Internet — are united in a principle of freedom that challenges core philosophies of virtually every terrestrial nation on earth. Indeed, forget the debate over whether the FCC's recent ruling on net neutrality is good or bad. The real point is that whatever its purpose may be, it's too little too late. The Party of We is in control.
You (e.g., the FCC) are not in control. Extend your sovereignty in conflict with the right of We to know what We wants to know, and You risk disruption of Your economies, Your communications, Your infrastructure. Disruption that not only challenges authority but that will cost You millions, perhaps billions.
We knows no sovereign authority. The power of We is virtual and without limit when exercised in a united front. MasterCard, PayPal, and other global financial institutions felt the wrath of We in December 2010 — the tipping point. The world witnessed the rise of the Party of We.
We can communicate instantaneously to its community of over 500 million citizens on Facebook — a community that may well reach a billion in a few years. We can access all the information We needs to know from the free global library on Google, global encyclopedia on Wikipedia, and global photographic and image repository on Flickr. And whatever We needs to globally communicate, We need only send an e-mail, tweet a tweet, post a comment or video, or get LinkedIn. And it doesn't cost We a dime to do so.
But the most profound lesson in this tipping point is that while We responded responsibly and backed off the financial shutdown once the citizens of We decided they'd made a mistake and attacked innocent parties, there is no guarantee that We will always act responsibly. Or worse, We might cause unprecedented damage before We corrects its course.
Because unlike the tea parties of 1773 and 2010, the Party of We has only one plank in its platform — transparency. That is far more powerful than anything colonists in 1773 or Tea Party revelers in 2010 could conceive. And there is no defense short of shutting down the Internet and sending the world's economy back to the Dark Ages of the 20th Century.
The rise of the Party of We is the most profound tipping point in global discourse since the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia that first established the concept of sovereign nations, something we can now count as the latest entry on the list of endangered species.
Wood is a partner in the New York office of Reed Smith. He specializes in media and entertainment law and is editor of Network Interference — a Legal Guide to the Commercial Risks and Rewards of the Social Media Phenomenon, a White Paper on how social media globally impacts every level of business. The White Paper is available here. Wood can be reached at dwood@reedsmith.com or through LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Assange could end up in Guantanamo Bay if Extradited
Assange appears in Court
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appeared in a London court as part of his fight against extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted on sexual misconduct charges.
It was the first time Assange had appeared in court since being released on bail on December 16, after surrendering to British police who wanted him on an European arrest warrant issued by Sweden.
His lawyers argued that there is a "real risk" that if extradited to Sweden, Assange may be sent on to the United States, where the lawyers said he could be detained at Guantanamo Bay or even face the death penalty.
Assange and his supporters say the 39-year-old Australian computer expert is being pursued because he has infuriated Washington by releasing details of secret U.S. diplomatic cables on his website.
The court decided that Sweden's extradition request will be examined at the next hearing on February 7-8.
Courtesy of Radio Free Europe
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appeared in a London court as part of his fight against extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted on sexual misconduct charges.
It was the first time Assange had appeared in court since being released on bail on December 16, after surrendering to British police who wanted him on an European arrest warrant issued by Sweden.
His lawyers argued that there is a "real risk" that if extradited to Sweden, Assange may be sent on to the United States, where the lawyers said he could be detained at Guantanamo Bay or even face the death penalty.
Assange and his supporters say the 39-year-old Australian computer expert is being pursued because he has infuriated Washington by releasing details of secret U.S. diplomatic cables on his website.
The court decided that Sweden's extradition request will be examined at the next hearing on February 7-8.
Courtesy of Radio Free Europe
Monday, January 10, 2011
Assange due in court soon
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' founder will appear in a London court on Tuesday avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning about alleged sex crimes.
This is mainly procedural hearing at the top security Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, due to start at 1000 GMT (3 p.m. EST), and is likely to confirm the date for a full extradition hearing expected in about three to four weeks time in February.
According to Reuters, The 39-year-old Australian computer expert, has protested his innocence over claims of sexual misconduct against two women.
"The hearing on Tuesday is to ensure that the real issues in the case are identified and that preparation of the case is progressing in a timely fashion," said a spokesman for Britain's courts service.
It will also decide elements of the legal process, such as which documents the prosecutors and defense lawyers should provide and whether any witnesses should be called up.
British police arrested Assange last month on a European warrant issued by Sweden following allegations made by two WikiLeaks' volunteers.
After spending nine days in jail, he was released on bail on December 16 after his supporters raised a surety of 200,000 pounds ($312,000).
As part of his bail conditions, Assange must stay at a mansion in eastern England, abide by a curfew, report to police daily and wear an electronic tag. Assange has described the curbs on him as "hi-tech house arrest."
This is mainly procedural hearing at the top security Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, due to start at 1000 GMT (3 p.m. EST), and is likely to confirm the date for a full extradition hearing expected in about three to four weeks time in February.
According to Reuters, The 39-year-old Australian computer expert, has protested his innocence over claims of sexual misconduct against two women.
"The hearing on Tuesday is to ensure that the real issues in the case are identified and that preparation of the case is progressing in a timely fashion," said a spokesman for Britain's courts service.
It will also decide elements of the legal process, such as which documents the prosecutors and defense lawyers should provide and whether any witnesses should be called up.
British police arrested Assange last month on a European warrant issued by Sweden following allegations made by two WikiLeaks' volunteers.
After spending nine days in jail, he was released on bail on December 16 after his supporters raised a surety of 200,000 pounds ($312,000).
As part of his bail conditions, Assange must stay at a mansion in eastern England, abide by a curfew, report to police daily and wear an electronic tag. Assange has described the curbs on him as "hi-tech house arrest."
Anon to Hit the Streets over Wikileaks
Protestors associated with the online activism group Anonymous will hit the streets of London twice this week, in criticism of Scientology and in support of Julian Assange according to The Register(R)
"Buoyed by its current high profile, a result of interest in its recent DDoS attacks on Visa, MasterCard and Amazon, the group has issued a call for global action, drenched in freedom-fighting rhetoric.
Declaring "we are done waiting for someone to save us from tyranny and censorship" - accompanied by an angry rock soundtrack - Anonymous members will on Saturday target Scientology buildings in London.
International gatherings on the 15th will be in direct support of WikiLeaks, but UK activists have an appointment with Assange earlier in the week.
Anonymous is a long-term enemy of the Church of Scientology, citing its aggressive suppression of critics online. The activists attracted attention for the first time almost three years ago when they briefly shut down the controversial organisation's website.
That attack was followed in 2008 in London and other cities by a series of protests outside Scientology buildings, but in more recent years Anonymous has concentrated efforts online, against the entertainment industry and other elements its members believe damage internet freedom.
"The internet needs champions and we will rise," the video promoting this week's renewed real world action warns.
Before Saturday, Anonymous members will protest against Sweden's attempt to extradite Julian Assange in relation to alleged sex crimes, which he denies. The Wikileaks founder is due in Belmarsh Magistrates' Court tomorrow for the preliminary hearing, having spent the festive period on bail at a manor house in East Anglia.
The protest outside the court is not being organised by Anonymous, and will be attended by disparate Assange-supporters. However, it's likely many will wear Anonymous' signature Guy Fawkes mask, borrowed from V for Vendetta."
"Buoyed by its current high profile, a result of interest in its recent DDoS attacks on Visa, MasterCard and Amazon, the group has issued a call for global action, drenched in freedom-fighting rhetoric.
Declaring "we are done waiting for someone to save us from tyranny and censorship" - accompanied by an angry rock soundtrack - Anonymous members will on Saturday target Scientology buildings in London.
International gatherings on the 15th will be in direct support of WikiLeaks, but UK activists have an appointment with Assange earlier in the week.
Anonymous is a long-term enemy of the Church of Scientology, citing its aggressive suppression of critics online. The activists attracted attention for the first time almost three years ago when they briefly shut down the controversial organisation's website.
That attack was followed in 2008 in London and other cities by a series of protests outside Scientology buildings, but in more recent years Anonymous has concentrated efforts online, against the entertainment industry and other elements its members believe damage internet freedom.
"The internet needs champions and we will rise," the video promoting this week's renewed real world action warns.
Before Saturday, Anonymous members will protest against Sweden's attempt to extradite Julian Assange in relation to alleged sex crimes, which he denies. The Wikileaks founder is due in Belmarsh Magistrates' Court tomorrow for the preliminary hearing, having spent the festive period on bail at a manor house in East Anglia.
The protest outside the court is not being organised by Anonymous, and will be attended by disparate Assange-supporters. However, it's likely many will wear Anonymous' signature Guy Fawkes mask, borrowed from V for Vendetta."
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Assange back in Prison
Assange is back in prison where he is being held pending extradition to Sweden "for his own safety" claim British authorities. According to one of his lawyers yesterday. "The prison authorities are doing it for his own safety, presumably," lawyer Jennifer Robinson told the press yesterday.
She said the 39-year-old Australian was moved to the segregation unit of Wandsworth prison in southwest London on Thursday, two days after he was taken to the jail.
The lawyer complained that Assange "does not get any recreation, he has difficulties getting phone calls out, he is on his own."
"Obviously we are trying to prepare a legal appeal and he has difficulties hand writing, so it would be much easier in order to assist us in the preparation if he had a laptop," Robinson said. Authorities do not allow laptops in prison however.
Geoffrey Robertson, a high-profile British-Australian human rights lawyer and QC, stated, Assange was in "very good" spirits but was "frustrated" he could not answer the allegations that WikiLeaks was behind cyber attacks launched on credit card firms which have refused to do business with the website.
"He told me he is absolutely not involved and this is a deliberate attempt to conflate WikiLeaks, which is a publishing organisation, with hacking organisations which are not." commented Robertson.
She said the 39-year-old Australian was moved to the segregation unit of Wandsworth prison in southwest London on Thursday, two days after he was taken to the jail.
The lawyer complained that Assange "does not get any recreation, he has difficulties getting phone calls out, he is on his own."
"Obviously we are trying to prepare a legal appeal and he has difficulties hand writing, so it would be much easier in order to assist us in the preparation if he had a laptop," Robinson said. Authorities do not allow laptops in prison however.
Geoffrey Robertson, a high-profile British-Australian human rights lawyer and QC, stated, Assange was in "very good" spirits but was "frustrated" he could not answer the allegations that WikiLeaks was behind cyber attacks launched on credit card firms which have refused to do business with the website.
"He told me he is absolutely not involved and this is a deliberate attempt to conflate WikiLeaks, which is a publishing organisation, with hacking organisations which are not." commented Robertson.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Twitter Subpoena'd over WikiLeaks
The latest news is that a Magistrate in Virginia has ordered twitter to hand over any and all information it has on five users including Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks and the Army’s Pfc. Bradley Manning, one-time Baghdad, Iraq-based intelligence analyst accused of downloading hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. government documents.
The subpoena was issued on the 14th of December but was only unsealed this Wednesday past at Twitter's request so that it could notify the persons whose records had been demanded.
As well as Assange and Manning, the subpoena also seeks the records of one Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland's parliament and a former volunteer for WikiLeaks; Rop Gonggrijp, the well-known Dutch computer programmer whose surname the subpoena misspelled as Gongrijp and so will possibly have to be reissued, and Jacob Appelbaum, an American WikiLeaks supporter who is not identified by name, but whose Twitter username, ioerror, is used to identify the account. Two other usernames are listed to identify the accounts sought: rop - g and birgittaj.
The subpoena was made public in an interview with the British newspaper the Guardian by Jonsdottir. made public the subpoena in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian and posted on the paper's website on Friday. Both WikiLeaks and Gonggrijp confirmed the subpoena in tweets and blog posts on Saturday.
The subpoena asks Twitter for "records of any activity to and from the accounts," including the size of files that may have been transferred to them or from them as well as IP addresses and any other account information. The subpoena also requests this information from the 1st of November 2009. A time when Manning was still working in Baghdad. He was arrested in May after WikiLeaks posted in April a video taken from a U.S. helicopter as it fired on and killed innocent people including two employees of the Reuters news agency in Baghdad. Assange, Jonsdottir and Gonggrijp were listed as the producers of that famous WikiLeaks report, titled "Collateral Murder."
Late Friday, Appelbaum warned followers in a Twitter post not to message him privately. Then, on Saturday, Gonggrijp posted on his blog, rop.gonggri.jp, a copy of what he said was Twitter's notification about the subpoena.
In the notification, which was addressed to Gonggrijp by his Twitter username, Twitter said it would surrender the records to the Justice Department on Jan. 17 "unless we receive notice from you that a motion to quash the legal process has been filed or that this matter has been otherwise resolved."
Gonggrijp did not mention if he would challenge the subpoena. He did praise Twitter for notifying its users of the government demand. "It appears that twitter, as a matter of policy, does the right thing in wanting to inform their users when one of these comes in," he wrote. "Heaven knows how many places have received similar subpoenas and just quietly submitted all they had on me."
WikiLeaks said subpoenas had likely also had been sent to Facebook, where the WikiLeaks page has more than a million followers, but there was no confirmation of that claim.
According to The Kansas Star, subpoenas mark an intensification of the Justice Department's efforts to tie WikiLeaks and Assange to Manning, who is currently jailed at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va., facing charges that could send him to prison, if convicted, for 52 years. Pentagon officials have said that while prosecutors believe the files Manning is accused of downloading were passed to WikiLeaks, they have yet to establish a direct link between Manning and Assange. Without that link, it may be difficult to charge Assange with a crime in connection with the ongoing publication of the documents by the website.
More information at:http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/08/2569812/us-seeks-twitter-info-on-wikileaks.html
The subpoena was issued on the 14th of December but was only unsealed this Wednesday past at Twitter's request so that it could notify the persons whose records had been demanded.
As well as Assange and Manning, the subpoena also seeks the records of one Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland's parliament and a former volunteer for WikiLeaks; Rop Gonggrijp, the well-known Dutch computer programmer whose surname the subpoena misspelled as Gongrijp and so will possibly have to be reissued, and Jacob Appelbaum, an American WikiLeaks supporter who is not identified by name, but whose Twitter username, ioerror, is used to identify the account. Two other usernames are listed to identify the accounts sought: rop - g and birgittaj.
The subpoena was made public in an interview with the British newspaper the Guardian by Jonsdottir. made public the subpoena in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian and posted on the paper's website on Friday. Both WikiLeaks and Gonggrijp confirmed the subpoena in tweets and blog posts on Saturday.
The subpoena asks Twitter for "records of any activity to and from the accounts," including the size of files that may have been transferred to them or from them as well as IP addresses and any other account information. The subpoena also requests this information from the 1st of November 2009. A time when Manning was still working in Baghdad. He was arrested in May after WikiLeaks posted in April a video taken from a U.S. helicopter as it fired on and killed innocent people including two employees of the Reuters news agency in Baghdad. Assange, Jonsdottir and Gonggrijp were listed as the producers of that famous WikiLeaks report, titled "Collateral Murder."
Late Friday, Appelbaum warned followers in a Twitter post not to message him privately. Then, on Saturday, Gonggrijp posted on his blog, rop.gonggri.jp, a copy of what he said was Twitter's notification about the subpoena.
In the notification, which was addressed to Gonggrijp by his Twitter username, Twitter said it would surrender the records to the Justice Department on Jan. 17 "unless we receive notice from you that a motion to quash the legal process has been filed or that this matter has been otherwise resolved."
Gonggrijp did not mention if he would challenge the subpoena. He did praise Twitter for notifying its users of the government demand. "It appears that twitter, as a matter of policy, does the right thing in wanting to inform their users when one of these comes in," he wrote. "Heaven knows how many places have received similar subpoenas and just quietly submitted all they had on me."
WikiLeaks said subpoenas had likely also had been sent to Facebook, where the WikiLeaks page has more than a million followers, but there was no confirmation of that claim.
According to The Kansas Star, subpoenas mark an intensification of the Justice Department's efforts to tie WikiLeaks and Assange to Manning, who is currently jailed at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va., facing charges that could send him to prison, if convicted, for 52 years. Pentagon officials have said that while prosecutors believe the files Manning is accused of downloading were passed to WikiLeaks, they have yet to establish a direct link between Manning and Assange. Without that link, it may be difficult to charge Assange with a crime in connection with the ongoing publication of the documents by the website.
More information at:http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/08/2569812/us-seeks-twitter-info-on-wikileaks.html
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Long Term Effects of Wikileaks
It is true that the world will never be the same again. Now that a precedent has been set we can expect more leaks, more exposure, indeed, more calls for transparency and not necessarily just from Wikileaks. Others will now jump on the bandwagon including other countries.
Governments will be forced to change how they operate and the question is how will they do that? Will there be more transparency, or will government departments work towards a greater degree of security. I think we all know the answer to that one.
Government is about control. In some cases it is almost an obsession. No control equals anarchy in the eyes of some. Even though those societies where the individual is encouraged to assume more responsibility, there is less need of a nanny state and less need of control of the population. Sweden springs to mind as an example here.
But we are not living in such an enlightened age. Increase controls are the norm. An increased nanny state psychosis is now running rampant in many western governments and out and out suppress and control the population in some others.
Given the over the top reaction by the US government to wikileaks, it is very unlikely that the promised transparency by the US President will ever materialise. In fact his promises, moving out of Afghanistan, closing Guantánamo Bay, more transparency, etc, have all been shown to mean diddlysquat and it does not take a wikileaks cable exposure to see what HIS opinion of the American people really is.
Governments do not believe in transparency. They believe in control through ignorance
Prediction: Governments will likely tighten up and restrict even more their private doings and dealings. Secrecy will continue to be the order of the day. More and more information will be reclassified as secret and a broader range of classification will be formed. Heavier penalties will be applied for security leaks and less justice and more force will be applied.
indeed, the world will never be the same again.
Governments will be forced to change how they operate and the question is how will they do that? Will there be more transparency, or will government departments work towards a greater degree of security. I think we all know the answer to that one.
Government is about control. In some cases it is almost an obsession. No control equals anarchy in the eyes of some. Even though those societies where the individual is encouraged to assume more responsibility, there is less need of a nanny state and less need of control of the population. Sweden springs to mind as an example here.
But we are not living in such an enlightened age. Increase controls are the norm. An increased nanny state psychosis is now running rampant in many western governments and out and out suppress and control the population in some others.
Given the over the top reaction by the US government to wikileaks, it is very unlikely that the promised transparency by the US President will ever materialise. In fact his promises, moving out of Afghanistan, closing Guantánamo Bay, more transparency, etc, have all been shown to mean diddlysquat and it does not take a wikileaks cable exposure to see what HIS opinion of the American people really is.
Governments do not believe in transparency. They believe in control through ignorance
Prediction: Governments will likely tighten up and restrict even more their private doings and dealings. Secrecy will continue to be the order of the day. More and more information will be reclassified as secret and a broader range of classification will be formed. Heavier penalties will be applied for security leaks and less justice and more force will be applied.
indeed, the world will never be the same again.
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