[p2p-research] open/closed - wikileaks

[j.martin.pedersen]

"Secret US Embassy Cables"

Wikileaks began on Sunday November 28th publishing 251,287 leaked United
States embassy cables, the largest set of confidential documents ever to
be released into the public domain. The documents will give people
around the world an unprecedented insight into US Government foreign
activities:

More information here: http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/

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"Interestingly", the US presidential press secretary invokes the concept
of "open" and "free" governments, as well as "human rights" to attack
Wikileaks:

"To be clear, such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence
professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States
for assistance in promoting democracy and open government," presidential
press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday. "These documents also may
include named individuals who in many cases live and work under
oppressive regimes and who are trying to create more open and free
societies."

"By releasing stolen and classified documents, WikiLeaks has put at risk
not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these
individuals," Gibbs said. "We condemn in the strongest terms the
unauthorized disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national
security information." - from:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2010/1128/WikiLeaks-Leaked-cables-reveal-the-rough-workings-of-diplomacy

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See also this article in, yes, the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333920/Wikileaks-Hillary-Clinton-ordered-U-S-diplomats-spy-UN-leaders.html

"Wikileaks: Hillary Clinton ordered U.S. diplomats to spy on UN leaders"

Excerpt:

"Top secret cables revealed that Mrs Clinton, the Secretary of State,
even ordered diplomats to obtain DNA data – including iris scans and
fingerprints - as well as credit card and frequent flier numbers.

All permanent members of the security council – including Russia, China,
France and the UK – were targeted by the secret spying mission, as well
as the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon. Work schedules, email
addresses, fax numbers, website identifiers and mobile numbers were also
demanded by Washington.

The U.S. also wanted ‘biographic and biometric information on UN
Security Council permanent representatives’.

The request could break international law and threatens to derail any
trust between the U.S. and other powerful nations.

Requests for IT related information – such as details of passwords,
personal encryption keys and network upgrades - could also raise
suspicions that the U.S. was preparing to mount a hacking operation."

...

"Mrs Clinton called for biometric details ‘on key UN officials, to
include undersecretaries, heads of specialised agencies and their chief
advisers, top SYG [secretary general] aides, heads of peace operations
and political field missions, including force commanders’.

She also wanted intelligence on Ban Ki-Moon’s ‘management and
decision-making style and his influence on the secretariat’."


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