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Wikileaks and Julian Assange Mega-thread

hold_fast said:
He was using his lawyer's address in the midst of what he's calling a refugee claim. I suspect he will ultimately aim for asylum in Switzerland.
What I'm concerned about is whether it's common practice to publish the details of a person's bank account and its status.


Also, the op-ed piece above made me puke in my mouth.

What makes me puke in my mouth is that someone could feel sorry for this worthless POS. A POS that could well be responsible for the preventable deaths of soldiers, possibly Canadian.

Assange is a Judas, collecting payment for betrayal, but refusing in some twisted way, to consider himself responsible for any deaths or damage.

He is the worst type of parasite.

I can't feel one bit sorry for him or his supporters and can only wish for a speedy and very long, isolated incarceration. The life of a destitute true refugee after release wouldn't upset me much either.


 
Michael O'Leary said:
The irony in that statement is incredible.  Exactly on what grounds would Assange use to complain about something being published that he didn't think should be made public?

I'm not saying he's complaining - he didn't. In fact, I believe he issued a statement about it. I'm the one who's concerned about the bank publishing information - as I thought there would be some form of privacy regulations regarding accounts, and therefore would consider this a breach of their own TOS/contract/whatnot.

CDN Aviator said:
Why ? Everything said is right on target.

This:
Under U.S. law, we have the authority to stop them. Members of WikiLeaks are almost certainly in violation of the Espionage Act, and when it comes to espionage, it does not matter that they are foreign citizens (see U.S. v. Zehe), nor does it matter if we violate the sovereignty of another country in abducting them (See U.S. v. Verdugo-Urquidez).
I do not agree with the notion of American law above all other laws. I do not enjoy the image of sending agents into the UK or Sweden to abduct a man; that is prime American egotism. I think I'll go back to my CBC shows with their anti-American sentiments...

While we can sit and list the irreparable damage that WikiLeaks has done and will continue to do to American diplomacy, their actions are still not illegal by the standards of most countries. The laws are relatively clear for members of the Commonwealth and I'd rather stand up for the laws of the Commonwealth that we are a part of than those of America, especially the Espionage Act of 1917 which has a history of being applied to silence critics.

I have attempted to keep my opinions on here objective in relation to WikiLeaks and Assange. I'm only interested in maintaining the rights and freedoms of individuals on the internet as well as the old adage of "innocent until proven guilty". I'm certainly interested in seeing what comes out of it when Assange goes to trial, which is bound to happen at some point - unfortunately.
 
Holdfast:
How on earth could you consider banking information sacrosanct, when this dirty little fucker has put people's lives in danger: probably including some of those on this forum, for what purpose?  I'm sorry, but there must be a way to off this guy. Yeah, sure, he's got "information that he'll release if killed". I say "call his bluff" and send a message to any other wannabe anarchists out there: do anything like this, and we'll kill you.

I'm serious.  I mean, there probably has been at least one life lost (aka "broken eggs" as he put it) for this little prick's vision of Utopia.  I say that we show him Valhalla instead. 

As for going jurisdiction on foreigners, consider this little tidbit from our own National Defence Act:
60. (1) The following persons are subject to the Code of Service Discipline...
(h) an alleged spy for the enemy;
Every other case of jurisdiction assumes Canadian identity through its description (for example: "subject to such exceptions, adaptations and modifications as the Governor in Council may by regulations prescribe, a person who, pursuant to law or pursuant to an agreement between Canada and the state in whose armed forces the person is serving, is attached or seconded as an officer or non-commissioned member to the Canadian Forces")  That example is rather verbose and precise.  Para h. is rather brief.  Yes, any alleged spy for the enemy is subject to the code of service discipline.  Our code of service discipline.  So it's not just the US of A that has such laws.

As for your claims of "freedom of individuals", don't forget those of us in CADPAT who have to drive those roads, complete with juicy details handed to our enemies who would kill us.  So, I would offer that if there is a next time for a repatriation in Trenton, go attend, and give your condolences to the fallen, and explain that they had to die "so that Assange may feed his ego".



 
As an aside, I think that the Afghan Operations game should have a new feature.  Random event #1: "Wikileaks publishes info on your patrol. You are ambushed and your body is never recovered.  Meanwhile, Assange breaks a nail and threatens to sue the USA"
 
Ahh, the joys of undergrad-educated youth -- answers to all the world's political, economic, and social crises are so easy when "Competency - Authority - Responsibility" are merely theories to be sneered at by Marx/Foucault-quoting profs.
 
Technoviking said:
I'm serious.  I mean, there probably has been at least one life lost (aka "broken eggs" as he put it) for this little prick's vision of Utopia.  I say that we show him Valhalla instead.
Even I know he's not worthy of Valhalla.

Journeyman said:
Ahh, the joys of undergrad-educated youth -- answers to all the world's political, economic, and social crises are so easy when "Competency - Authority - Responsibility" are merely theories to be sneered at by Marx/Foucault-quoting profs.
Nice.
 
I'm a little behind.

Where did he get all of these uber secret documents?
 
hold_fast said:
I'm the one who's concerned about the bank publishing information - as I thought there would be some form of privacy regulations regarding accounts, and therefore would consider this a breach of their own TOS/contract/whatnot.

It is ironic how you decry the release of his banking information yet you are fine with the release of information that WILL get people killed.

I think I'll go back to my CBC shows with their anti-American sentiments...

You might as well. We all knw that the CBC, specificaly its online comments section is a major hub of ballanced and objective thinking.

especially the Espionage Act of 1917 which has a history of being applied to silence critics.

Classic left-wing argument.....nicely done.

I'm only interested in maintaining the rights and freedoms of individuals on the internet

And most of us are interested in people not getting killed because so idiot published things he should never have had in the first place.


I'm certainly interested in seeing what comes out of it when Assange goes to trial, which is bound to happen at some point - unfortunately.

Unfortunately ?
[/quote]
 
The Globe and Mail is reporting that Assange has been arrested in the UK on the Swedish warrant. According to the report, he will likely be released on bail pending an extradition hearing.
 
hold_fast said:
I have attempted to keep my opinions on here objective in relation to WikiLeaks and Assange. I'm only interested in maintaining the rights and freedoms of individuals on the internet as well as the old adage of "innocent until proven guilty". I'm certainly interested in seeing what comes out of it when Assange goes to trial, which is bound to happen at some point - unfortunately.

DUH!

Protecting the rights of individuals?  Where has WikiLeaks protected any rights of individuals?  It has named names, and some, perhaps many, may now be facing assassination by the Taliban in Afghanistan.  I think it only proper 'Justice' to totally expose Julian Assange and his compatriots to the world.  Publish all their personal information, including their 'real' Bank accounts.  These people are not innocents.  They are not 'whistle blowers'.  They are criminals who have published State secrets and personal information of numerous individuals on various media forums.  They should all be dealt accordingly.  Your concept of them being untouchable is totally false.  They have broken laws in numerous countries, and it is ignorant folk like you who are defending them.
 
GAP said:
From a private who was a traitor.

ALL of this because of a private in the army?    Personally I have problems believing that.


George Wallace said:
DUH!

Protecting the rights of individuals?  Where has WikiLeaks protected any rights of individuals?  It has named names, and some, perhaps many, may now be facing assassination by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Right on George.  I actually get a laugh out of seeing all the closed door behind the scene comments by diplomats and crap- I find it humorous, the idea of them trying to defend the comments they made etc..
But  defenders of Wikileaks talking about freedom of speech and how Assnage needs to be protected and defended? Screw that.  His actions put humans lives in danger. Humans who took a risk trying to help their ass backwards country get on their feet again. People with families who aren't hiding behind multimillion dollar lawyers, who have everything in the world to loose.
 
Grimaldus said:
ALL of this because of a private in the army?    Personally I have problems believing that.
I think this may be part of the issue:
.... what has been even more startling than the leaks themselves is the number of Americans who appear to have had access to this vast range of sensitive communications.

People in the know say that it is in excess of two million! A figure that defies all security logic.

(....)

My first reaction on reading about the staggering number of American officials with this level of security access was "you can't be serious." But this indeed seems to be the case.

The explanation: Soon after 9/11, the Bush administration became so upset by accounts of miscommunication and confusion among government agencies that it decided not only that the left hand needed to know what the right was doing, but that all other limbs of government should be in the security loop as well.

Yes, the very top security levels, the ones that link leaders at the White House, Pentagon, State Department and intelligence chiefs, operate inside a more secure communications bubble.

This has not been breached.

But thousands of cables marked "secret" and hundreds of thousands marked "confidential" and "not for foreign eyes" poured out of 250 U.S. embassies and scores of military bases worldwide, there to be read by even junior staff in their 20s ....
 
Grimaldus said:
ALL of this because of a private in the army?    Personally I have problems believing that.


Right on George.  I actually get a laugh out of seeing all the closed door behind the scene comments by diplomats and crap- I find it humorous, the idea of them trying to defend the comments they made etc..
But  defenders of Wikileaks talking about freedom of speech and how Assnage needs to be protected and defended? Screw that.  His actions put humans lives in danger. Humans who took a risk trying to help their *** backwards country get on their feet again. People with families who aren't hiding behind multimillion dollar lawyers, who have everything in the world to loose.

I am just waiting to see Assange and gang all cry out, through their lawyers, that their personal information MUST be protected from publication.
 
Grimaldus said:
ALL of this because of a private in the army?    Personally I have problems believing that.
...


Actually, all this because of a perceived real "need" to share more information between US agencies (State, Defence, CIA, etc) which resulted in loading damned near everything on to SIPRNet which, while secure, is 'open' to something like three million people - including (recently demoted) Pte Bradley Manning of the United States Army who downloaded several gigs of data on to a flash drive and gave it to Assange.
 
More on the continued pinching of WikiLeaks' financial IV tube:
Visa Europe has begun suspending payments to whistle-blowing website Wikileaks ahead of carrying out an investigation into the organisation.

It follows a similar move by rival payments processor Mastercard on Tuesday.

Visa's announcement comes after Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange was arrested by police in London.

(....)

Wikileaks relies on online donations to fund its operations, which will now not be possible using both Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards.

A spokeswoman for Visa Europe said its investigation would determine the nature of Wikileaks' business, and "whether it contravenes Visa operating rules".

She added that Visa Europe could not suspend payments to Wikileaks immediately, and that the process took a certain amount of time ....
:'( .... NOT
 
What is good for the Goose isn't good for the Gander:


Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.

Profile: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
7 December 2010 Last updated at 06:56 ET
BBC World News

LINK

To his fans, Julian Assange is a valiant campaigner for truth. To his critics, though, he is a publicity-seeker who has endangered lives by putting a mass of sensitive information into the public domain.

Mr Assange is described by those who have worked with him as intense, driven and highly intelligent - with an exceptional ability to crack computer codes.

He is often on the move, running Wikileaks from temporary, shifting locations.

He can go long stretches without eating, and focus on work with very little sleep, according to Raffi Khatchadourian, a reporter for the New Yorker magazine who spent several weeks travelling with him.

"He creates this atmosphere around him where the people who are close to him want to care for him to help keep him going.

"I would say that probably has something to do with his charisma," Ms Khatchadourian said.

Julian Assange has been reluctant to talk about his background, but media interest since the emergence of Wikileaks has given some insight into his influences.

He was born in Townsville, Queensland, northern Australia, in 1971, and led a nomadic childhood while his parents ran a touring theatre.

He had a child at 18, and custody battles soon followed.

Caught hacking

The development of the internet gave him a chance to use his early promise at maths, though this, too, led to difficulties.

In 1995 he was accused with a friend of dozens of hacking activities.

Though the group of hackers was skilled enough to track detectives tracking them, Mr Assange was eventually caught and pleaded guilty.

He was fined several thousand Australian dollars - only escaping prison on the condition that he did not reoffend.

He then spent three years working with an academic, Suelette Dreyfus, who was researching the emerging, subversive side of the internet, writing a book with her, Underground, that became a bestseller in the computing fraternity.

Ms Dreyfus described Mr Assange as a "very skilled researcher" who was "quite interested in the concept of ethics, concepts of justice, what governments should and shouldn't do".

This was followed by a course in physics and maths at Melbourne University, where he became a prominent member of a mathematics society, inventing an elaborate maths puzzle that contemporaries said he excelled at.

'Encrypt everything'

He began Wikileaks in 2006 with a group of like-minded people from across the web, creating a web-based "dead-letterbox" for would-be leakers.

"[To] keep our sources safe, we have had to spread assets, encrypt everything, and move telecommunications and people around the world to activate protective laws in different national jurisdictions," Mr Assange told the BBC earlier this year.

"We've become good at it, and never lost a case, or a source, but we can't expect everyone to go through the extraordinary efforts that we do."

Daniel Schmitt, a co-founder, describes Mr Assange as "one of the few people who really care about positive reform in this world to a level where you're willing to do something radical to risk making a mistake, just for the sake of working on something they believe in".

Wikileaks has published material from a number of different countries, but really hit the headlines in April, when it released video taken from a US helicopter in Iraq in 2007. The images, carried by media outlets around the world, caused widespread shock.

Mr Assange emerged into the spotlight to promote and defend the video, as well as the massive releases of classified US military documents on the Afghan and Iraq wars, in July and October.

But reporters say he can still prove elusive, and that the workings of his website remain shrouded in secrecy.

In another twist in a controversial career, he is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Swedish prosecutors over allegations of rape and molestation.

The claims surfaced after he visited Sweden in August and relate to separate sexual encounters with two women, which his lawyer says were entirely consensual.

Mr Assange says the allegations are part of a smear campaign against him and his whistle-blowing website.

An initial investigation in August was dropped after only a day, but in September Sweden's Director of Prosecution reopened the case.

On 24 November, a Swedish court rejected his appeal against a detention order. The case is currently being considered by the Supreme Court.

Following the Wikileaks release of thousands of classified US diplomatic cables, the deputy foreign minister of Ecuador - a strong opponent of US policy - said it would offer Mr Assange residency "without any conditions".

However, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa later said the offer had "not been approved by Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino - or the president".


=================================================================

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange refused bail

7 December 2010 Last updated at 10:14 ET
BBC World News

LINK

The founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has told a court he will fight extradition to Sweden.

Bail was refused and the Australian, who denies sexually assaulted two women in Sweden, was remanded in custody pending a full hearing next week.

Mr Assange told a judge at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court he would contest extradition.

A Wikileaks spokesman said Mr Assange's arrest was an attack on media freedom.

Kristinn Hrafnsson said it would not stop release of more secret files and told Reuters on Tuesday: "Wikileaks is operational. We are continuing on the same track as laid out before.

"Any development with regards to Julian Assange will not change the plans we have with regards to the releases today and in the coming days."

Secret locations

He said Wikileaks was being operated by a group in London and other secret locations.

Five people, including journalist John Pilger and socialite Jemima Khan, stood up in court offering to put up sureties but bail was refused and he was remanded in custody until 14 December.

Scotland Yard said Mr Assange was arrested by appointment at a London police station at 0930 GMT.

Mr Assange is accused by the Swedish authorities of one count of rape, one of unlawful coercion and two counts of sexual molestation, alleged to have been committed in August 2010.

The allegations involve two women, Miss A and Miss W.

If the district judge rules the arrest warrant is legally correct, he could be extradited to Sweden.

But the process could take months, especially now that he has indicated he is objecting to extradition.

Police contacted his lawyer, Mark Stephens, on Monday night after receiving a European arrest warrant from the Swedish authorities.

An earlier warrant, issued last month, had not been filled in correctly.

Mr Stephens said his client was keen to learn more about the allegations and anxious to clear his name.

He said: "It's about time we got to the end of the day and we got some truth, justice and rule of law.

"Julian Assange has been the one in hot pursuit to vindicate himself to clear his good name."

Mr Stephens said Mr Assange had been trying to meet the Swedish prosecutor to find out the details about the allegations he faces.

Mr Assange has come in for criticism in the last week for the revelations made on Wikileaks.

On Monday Foreign Secretary William Hague criticised the website for publishing details of sensitive sites, including some in the UK, saying they could be targeted by terrorists.

Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has described Mr Assange as "an anti-American operative with blood on his hands".

Wikileaks was forced to switch to a Swiss host server after several US internet service providers refused to handle it.

It has also come under cyber attack and several companies, including PayPal and Amazon, have refused to supply it.

On Tuesday another company, Visa, also suspended all transactions involving Wikileaks.

Mr Assange appeared before a district judge at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. City of Westminster deals with most extradition cases but there are huge differences in the time it takes.

Extradition can be extremely swift if the accused waives his legal rights.

But some cases, such as the extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon to the United States, have been going on for years because of legal challenges.

A European arrest warrant is designed to speed up the process but there can be delays.

Last week a district judge finally agreed to extradite British businessman Ian Griffin to France 18 months after he was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend in a Paris hotel. Mr Griffin had been claiming he was mentally ill.

Gerard Batten, a Ukip MEP, said the Assange case highlighted the dangers of the European arrest warrant because the judge has no power to listen to the evidence to judge if there is a prime facie case.

He said: "What concerns me is that it could be used against political dissidents. I don't know of the quality of the evidence in Mr Assange's case but it does seem that he is involved in political turmoil and intrigue and there are a lot of people keen to shut him up and there is nothing a court in the UK can do to look at the evidence before they extradite him."

Mr Assange is an Australian citizen and his supporters have written an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard asking her to protect him.

One of the signatories, prominent barrister, Julian Burnside QC said: "First and foremost Julian Assange is an Australian citizen who is entitled to the protection of his country and does not deserve to be betrayed by his country.

"Julia Gillard has been making it virtually impossible for Assange to return to Australia where he is entitled to be. And she has even threatened to cancel his passport. That is an outrageous stance to take."

_______________________________________

Game of cat and mouse
28 Nov: First secret US diplomatic cables released on Wikileaks website
29 Nov: US brands cable leaks an "attack on the international community" and says criminal investigation ongoing
29 Nov: Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin calls for Mr Assange to be "pursued with the same urgency we pursue al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders"
3 Dec: Wikileaks forced to change web address after coming under cyber attack
3 Dec: Sweden issues new European arrest warrant for Mr Assange over sex crime allegations but wording is wrong
6 Dec: Sweden issues new warrant and passes it to police in UK
7 Dec: Mr Assange is arrested in London after voluntarily walking into a police station and appears in court

==================================================================


Wikileaks defended by Anonymous hacktivists
7 December 2010 Last updated at 07:40 ET
BBC World News

LINK

Internet hacktivists have fired the latest salvo in the Wikileaks infowar.

A group called Anonymous has hit sites that have refused to do business with the controversial whistle-blowing site with a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks.

It mirrors similar attacks aimed at the Wikileaks site.

Targets include the Swiss bank that froze founder Julian Assange's assets and PayPal which has stopped processing donations to Wikileaks.

Anonymous is a loose-knit group of hacktivists, with links to the notorious message board 4chan

Increased traffic

A member of Anonymous who calls himself Coldblood told the BBC that "multiple things are being done".

"Websites that are bowing down to government pressure have become targets," he said.

"As an organisation we have always taken a strong stance on censorship and freedom of expression on the internet and come out against those who seek to destroy it by any means."

"We feel that Wikileaks has become more than just about leaking of documents, it has become a war ground, the people vs. the government," he said.

So far the denial-of-service attacks (DDoS), which swamp a site with so many requests that it becomes overwhelmed, have failed to take any sites offline although that is not the point of the attack, according to Coldblood.

"The idea is not to wipe them off but to give the companies a wake-up call," he said. "Companies will notice the increase in traffic and an increase in traffic means increase in costs associated with running a website."

DDoS attacks are illegal in many countries, including the UK.

Coldblood admitted that such attacks "may hurt people trying to get to these sites" but said it was "the only effective way to tell these companies that us, the people, are displeased".

Anonymous is also helping to create hundreds of mirror sites for Wikileaks, after its US domain name provider withdrew its services.

"At the last count there were 507 mirrors of Wikileaks," said Coldblood.

Ending contracts

Wikileaks has been hit by a series of denial-of-service attacks, following the release of a quarter of a million US embassy cables.

It is unclear who is behind the attacks but it seems that Wikileaks is getting too hot to handle as many of the businesses that work with the site, distance themselves from it.

On 3 December, domain name provider EveryDNS cut off service, citing the denial-of-service attacks as the reason.

Amazon also ended an agreement to host the site, saying Wikileaks failed to adhere to its terms of service.

It said that Wikileaks was unable to ensure that it "wasn't putting innocent people in jeopardy" by leaking classified documents.

Online payment company, PayPal, has permanently restricted Wikileaks' account, making it harder for supporters to make donations.

MasterCard Worldwide is also choking payments to the site.

The Swiss bank, PostFinance has closed the account of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

In all cases, the companies have insisted their decisions are not politically motivated.

PayPal said Wikileaks' account had violated its terms of services.

PostFinance, meanwhile, claimed Assange had provided false information when opening his account.

BitTorrent file

But some have taken a different view.

French internet service provider OVH said it had no plans to end the service it provides to Wikileaks.

"OVH is neither for nor against this site. We neither asked to host this site nor not to host it. Now it's with us, we will fulfil the contract," said OVH managing director Octave Klaba.

"It's neither for the political world nor for OVH to call for or to decide on a site's closure," he added.

French industry minister Eric Besson had called for the site to be shut down, saying France could not host internet sites that "violate the confidentiality of diplomatic relations and put in danger people protected by diplomatic secrecy".

But on 6 December, a French judge declined to force OVH to shut Wikileaks down, saying the case needed further argument.

Wikileaks has amassed some high-profile enemies including Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the US Homeland Security Committee.

He has urged the US government to "use all legal means necessary to shut down Wikileaks before it can do more damage by releasing additional cables".

Dr Joss Wright, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute thinks it could be too late to legislate Wikileaks offline.

"Wikileaks has released an encrypted file containing all of the embassy cables," says Dr Wright. "The information is already out there."

Dozens of copies of that encrypted file have been shared using peer-to-peer networks, such as BitTorrent. "Once the information is there, it's virtually impossible to stop people sharing it," said Dr Wright.

Founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange has been arrested and is due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court later.

He is accused by the Swedish authorities of sexual assault.
 
hold_fast said:
He was using his lawyer's address in the midst of what he's calling a refugee claim. I suspect he will ultimately aim for asylum in Switzerland.

I'm almost surprised he didn't head to Switzerland first.  As I recall watching a scandal unfold in Costa Rica, they will not extradite anyone to a third country.

hold_fast said:
Also, the op-ed piece above made me puke in my mouth.

More than a little, me too.

The focus on Assange is quite honestly a moot point.  Imprisoning him, killing him, etc will do nothing to silence Wikileaks because it's much bigger than one person.  I understand the idea behind it - and in many cases in broad terms it's good to shine light on dark corners, but at the same time, the damage potential of some of the information released far outweighs any benefit potentially raised by bringing the truth to light.
 
WikiLeaks: Jack Granatstein takes his gloves off
http://unambig.com/wikileaks-jack-granatstein-takes-his-gloves-off/

Mark
Ottawa
 
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