Thursday, August 25, 2016

Wikileaks is protecting our privacy and protecting the little guy by dumping all of the little guy's personal information on the the internet. Wait, what? Update!

Courtesy of the AP:

WikiLeaks' giant data dumps have rattled the National Security Agency, the U.S. Democratic Party, and the Saudi foreign ministry. But its spectacular mass-disclosures have also included the personal information of hundreds of people — including sick children, rape victims and mental health patients, The Associated Press has found. 

In the past year alone, the radical transparency group has published medical files belonging to scores of ordinary citizens while many hundreds more have had sensitive family, financial or identity records posted to the web. In two particularly egregious cases, WikiLeaks named teenage rape victims. In a third case, the site published the name of a Saudi citizen arrested for being gay, an extraordinary move given that homosexuality can lead to social ostracism, a prison sentence or even death in the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom.

WikiLeaks' mass publication of personal data is at odds with the site's claim to have championed privacy even as it laid bare the workings of international statecraft, drawing criticism from longtime allies. 

Attempts to reach WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for an interview over the past month have been unsuccessful and the ex-hacker did not reply to written questions. In a series of tweets following the publication of the AP's story, WikiLeaks dismissed the privacy concerns as "recycled news" and said they were "not even worth a headline."

I have been over this "hacktivist" nonsense for quite some time now.

I was down with hackers when they leaked those documents about the Iraq War and when Anonymous went after the folks protecting the Steubenville rapists.

But things have become much muddier as of late, and after Wikileaks leaked the information about the Democrats that was hacked by the Russians I am just not feeling it anymore.

And now this.

Update: Oh yeah, and then there's this:  

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange warned Wednesday that his website is slated to release another batch of documents that could prove “significant” to the general election race.

If it is like the earlier releases the only thing "significant" will be how the conservative press will be able to form mountains out of hacked molehills.

There is really no reason to release this information right before an election, unless you are trying to hurt one candidate and benefit another.

Julian Assange can no longer make the claim that he is doing this for the public good. He is doing it for other reasons entirely.

56 comments:

  1. I'm reminded of an observation by Aaron Burr who said in effect that in the end, most secrets are known; few matter.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:54 AM

      Since we are talking about secrets; I would like to know about the 'little mattering' secret of Trig. Millions were bamboozled by that 'little mattering' secret. How does a square pillow turn into a baby in a few weeks? How about chiming in here doc? How did the delivery at Mat-Su go? Or was it Anchorage? What type of doctor, while working with a sociopath, perpetrates fraud on millions? Are you a good person doc? What about your Hippocratic oath doc?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:12 AM

      Ahhhhahahahahahaha 6:54.

      You going to spend the rest of your life stewing about the game you lost and Palin won?

      It is over, lights are out and the stadium is empty.

      She won.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7:51 AM

      Bwahahahaha, she won? Is that why she has been kicked to the curb by the Republican Party and Donald Trump(TOO FAR AWAY TO ATTEND THE rnc)? If Sarah Palin is a winner in your mind, you are the loser, TROLL!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8:00 AM

      Liars are losers. They never win. It takes the delusional to think they won are are winning.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous9:07 AM

      Well either way, there will never be a birth certificate. Although at this point it would be kind of funny if she did provide one that listed her as the natural birth mother.

      Now that would be funny after all these years.

      Delete
    6. What did she win exactly? She's a national punchline.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous9:51 AM

      She beat you meghan. She is a millionaire and still making money, and you are a jealous nobody still obsessing over her on the internets 8 years later.

      That is actually pretty damn funny. Meghan, it is never too late to get yourself a life.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:11 AM

      Perpetrating a lie is a win in $cratch's world. Youbetcha!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:18 AM

      Game lost? Stewing? You are delusional child. McCain and the dummy lost. Sarah is known worldwide as a 1st class idiot. Her entire life is a lie. Only fools like you think that is winning. Damn, you're dumb. Is that you Sarah? She wasn't even welcomed at the RNC the last two recent cycles. She's a fool like you. The babbling moron is ridiculed everywhere.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:23 AM

      9:51
      I would take my life any day over one of wealth, dysfunction, and unhappiness.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous12:05 PM

      sos

      https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9QS0q3mGPGg/hqdefault.jpg

      Is this the best Sarah can do?

      Delete
    12. Anonymous12:13 PM

      @9:07AM Funny? How about a miracle since she had a tubal ligation years before and never had it reversed?

      Chew on that, troll.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous12:54 PM

      Thank you Meghan and others that keep up with McCain/Palin since '08. Not everyone knows that Palin was so badly defeated. They know about the lost election part. Not all the endless loss that continued.

      All the ill gotten goods that her poops think she is so great to fleece, it's a millionaire, it must be a saint, a win, how godlike and holy. Some values those sad lost souls have now.

      Sarah Palin left the national stage in the same arrogant, deluded, and greedy way that she came in.
      http://www.politicususa.com/2013/01/26/sarah-palin-fox-news.html

      Delete
  2. Anonymous6:37 AM

    Assange has strong sociopathic tendencies an an agenda. He feels the power. He cares not who he injures. It's called EGO.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:22 AM

      ^^^^^10K
      That's exactly it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:17 PM

      You're wrong on both counts. Why don't you get yourself some facts? It's called READING.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:58 AM

      So that is where Sarah got that idea from?

      Delete
  3. Anonymous6:46 AM

    The AP has said they were always planning on combing through absolutely everything at some point and now they finally had the time. I got the impression that they were isolated cases but I can understand that the AP had to write about something after all that work. If there was a major scandal I'm sure the whole internet would be talking about it.

    This is not a defense of Julian Assange, about whom I have no opinion and even less interest.

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  4. Anonymous6:54 AM

    All is well. Americans are smart.

    http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-if-history-repeats-itself-and-the-unexpected-always-happens-how-incapable-must-man-be-of-learning-george-bernard-shaw-168845.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  5. WA Skeptic7:14 AM

    Let's see--unflattering leaks about completely innocent things? Right before a big election? Slanting against the front-runner?

    Follow the money--does it lead to Moscow?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:29 AM

    Talk about secrets, as an Alaskan, I want to know why the State of Alaska sealed the Palin family records? Their family has been a pain in our asses and they don't deserve to have their records sealed. How many years has their records been sealed? Time to unseal it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:02 AM

      Why don't you file an FOIA request with the State of Alaska? If you don't ask you'll never know, right?

      Delete
    2. Palins have both Tri-G's and Tripp's birth certificates sealed for 100 years. 😒

      Delete
    3. I believe under Alaskan law, birth and divorce records are sealed automatically. It was not special treatment for the Palins. Alaskans can correct me if I am wrong.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous7:48 AM

    Assange has also released medical records of rape victims, sensitive personal information of innocent bystanders and children, and a host of other deeply damaging data that serves zero political purpose. When these problems are pointed out to him, he refuses to even consider redacting any of the info. It's shameful, pointless, and dangerous. He is NOT a hero.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:39 AM

      Because guess what: neither anacharists nor fascists give a hot s**t about your petty little wants and needs. It's not at all about the public good

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:09 PM

      Assange is an ass. He's not a god. Well, maybe he's Pan.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous7:48 AM

    I believe Assange once did this for the good of the world. No longer. He has become a power craze idiot, who just can't get over himself. Did he sell out to Putin like Snowden did, also too?

    Snowden is essentially a prisoner in Russia. Is that where Assange hopes to end up?

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    1. Anonymous8:09 AM

      I forgot where he is now. Isn't he living like a prisoner (golden cage) of sorts. Is that how he will spend the rest of his life?

      I can imagine he would be bitter and an easy sell out that does not care about public good.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:28 AM

      Ecuadorean embassy in London for the last few years. He steps outside of that--he gets arrested and extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault charges.

      ~Canuck~

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:01 PM

      The dude is kind of trapped like the Palins on the Lake of the Dead. Can they leave that far away hide out in the woods? Or do they just stay there because they are glued to their spell binding HDTV?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:02 PM

      They created their own prison indeed!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous7:51 AM

    How AP published the biggest lie ever about the Clinton Foundation

    Let me tell you a little story about how the Associated Press outright lied about the Clinton Foundation in order to smear Hillary Clinton.

    AP claimed, falsely, that half the people Hillary met as Secretary of State were donors to the Clinton Foundation. An incredible number! Except it’s not true.

    And AP continues to refuse to correct the story.

    http://americablog.com/2016/08/ap-published-biggest-lie-ever-clinton-foundation.html

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06 AM

      People like Melinda Gates.

      The list actually reflects those who donated to the Clinton Foundation who are not politicians, I believe.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous7:54 AM

    Update: Oh yeah, and then there's this:

    Trump, surrogates and the gang will be safe. That is all that matters. Thanks Julian, you and your bro are doing a heck of a job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:55 AM

      You forgot about China and North Korea..wink!

      Delete
  11. Anonymous8:04 AM



    Megyn Kelly: Do you think the information in your possession could be a game changer in the U.S. election?

    Julian Assange: I think it's significant. uh... you know... it depends on how it catches fire in the public and in the media.

    Translation: “I have nothing unless the media makes something out of nothing.”

    http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/25/1563697/-Assange-Unwittingly-Admits-He-Has-Nothing

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous8:16 AM

    Ever notice how Wikileaks always only targets the US? (Ok, technically not 'always'. Maybe 1% other countries - and usually they are allies of the US.)
    From the start, I thought this was something to make people go 'hmmm...'. But few put 1+1 together. :/

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:57 PM

      Saudi Arabia, Turkey.... all the bad guys.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous8:23 AM

    You already opened the door by accepting his first release of information. Who is checking his release of information? Is every word he posts true? That would be a mathematical impossibility. Is the only truth floating around coming from a guy hiding in Russia? Mr. Assange has always had a political agenda. Somehow liberals don't think there is such a thing as leftist propaganda.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:00 AM

      Common sense tells you Assange is not a leftist.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous8:25 AM

    OT, but just an FYI for others that enjoy your blog as much as I do.. I take great delight in often clicking on the "Trump for America" ads that seem to show up here.... figure let Trump pay for some beer for you......

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  15. Anonymous8:32 AM

    Everyone does know that Assange used to work on Russian TV right?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:02 PM

      I know little about him. He is from Australia. His mother loves him.

      Why doesn't he face the rape charge if he is innocent. He could go on with his life after that.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:15 PM

      There are NO charges against Julian Assange. He is merely wanted for questioning about a broken condom. Neither of the groupies claimed that the sex was not consensual- each was quite happy until one of them found out she wasn't the only woman he was fucking that weekend. The condom being held as evidence was found to be not only not damaged but also had no trace of DNA on it. There ya go.

      Being wanted for question about breaking a condom would have been enough to get Assange back to Sweden and into US hands, had it worked out the way the US government wanted it to. Now they and the Swedes are stuck with their bullshit.

      I'm really sick of having to explain this to people. The witness statements are all online but Americans aren't the reading kind, only the accusing kind.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous6:10 PM

      What an ass he is.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:04 PM

      So that is why Todd keeps the condoms from johns! Do they artificially inseminate for a baby? Then blackmail the father for how long

      Delete
  16. Anonymous8:35 AM

    Barely 8am and I've dealt with 4 meltdowns wth my 4 Yr old. "Mommy! I hate the colors of th gummies (vitamins)"

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:59 AM

      barstool is that you?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:57 AM

      Just lock it in a dark closet for a few hours, that'll shut it up.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:05 PM

      You had fun making them you can have fun taking care of them! Good luck with all that!

      Delete
  17. Anonymous8:42 AM

    This is the truth
    http://americablog.com/2016/08/ap-published-biggest-lie-ever-clinton-foundation.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americablog+%28AMERICAblog+News+%29

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous9:06 AM

    It's funny how everyone idolizes this guy's words, and actions. Like they think he belongs to an elite group of intellectuals that could make a difference changing this world for the better. He's not better than those he seeks to expose. I hope he rots in his little self made prison. Oh, and Putin probably called in some favors for him to be in that embassy. Notice how Snowden and Assange are being heralded as heros. Says who? It's like this Bernie Sanders thing where there's a special group of people vying for the guy, and everyone outside that circle don't really know why. Does that mean we are all dumb, and they are smart, or are they just projecting this persona that really is a myth?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous9:57 AM

    I'm convinced Bernie Sander's campaign was infiltrated with hackers. Just sayin....

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  20. Anonymous3:19 PM

    Now the AP has been caught lying about Hillary Clinton, claiming that she only had formal meetings with 154 people in her 4 years as SoS. And that more than half of them donated to CGI.

    So there's that credibility for ya.

    ReplyDelete

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