Friday, March 19, 2010
Wikileaks leaks Pentagon report that it is a threat to the United States
by Larry Geller
Where else to find out that the Pentagon has put the muckraking website that posts secret documents onto its list of enemies threatening the security of the United States—than on Wikileaks itself.
Actually, I learned about this first from a story in the New York Times:
The Pentagon assessed the danger WikiLeaks.org posed to the Army in a report marked “unauthorized disclosure subject to criminal sanctions.” It concluded that “WikiLeaks.org represents a potential force protection, counterintelligence, OPSEC and INFOSEC threat to the U.S. Army” — or, in plain English, a threat to Army operations and information.
WikiLeaks, true to its mission to publish materials that expose secrets of all kinds, published the 2008 Pentagon report about itself on Monday. [New York Times, Pentagon Sees a Threat From Online Muckrakers, 3/17/2010]
The Wikileaks website is a goldmine of information. For example, check out
Microsoft's "Global Criminal Compliance Handbook", a confidential 22 page booklet designed for police and intelligence services. The guide provides a "menu" of information Microsoft collects on the users of its online services.
The booklet is designed to let police and intelligence officers know how to obtain information it is keeping on you and me. It starts off with details on how to serve legal process on Microsoft.
What kinds of services will they supply information on? Early in the document is the list:
- E-mail Services
- Authentication Service: Windows Live ID
- Instant Messaging: Windows Live Messenger
- Social Networking Services: Windows Live Spaces & MSN Groups
- Custom Domains: Windows Live Admin Center & Office Live Small Business
- Online File Storage: Office Live Workspace & Windows Live SkyDrive
- Gaming: Xbox Live
It even says how long Microsoft keeps information. For example, email:
E-mail account registration records are retained for the life of the account. Internet Protocol (“IP”) connection history records are retained for 60 days.
The website is struggling for money to carry on. It would be a great loss if they could not continue (or if the Pentagon caught up with them…)
Oh… I nearly forgot the funniest part of this. As the New York Times notes, the Pentagon thinks that Wikileaks is funded by the CIA.
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