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posted by CoolHand on Wednesday August 31 2016, @09:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the use-some-common-sense dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Whistle-blowing site Wikileaks has been criticised for not doing enough to screen sensitive information found in documents released via the site. [...] What has AP found? The news organisation combed through the site and found many instances where sensitive personal information was easily viewable in documents and files.

In the worst cases the information revealed could put lives at risk or lead to people being jailed or harassed, it said.

It is not the only risk involved with information on the site. Security researcher Vesselin Bontchev found more than 3,000 links to files that contained malware. The links were in a dump of emails from Turkey's ruling political party, the AKP.

However, it has taken some action to make it harder to fall victim to malware in the AKP files - though the dangerous links have not been completely removed.

[...] Is harm being done? Human rights groups have asked Wikileaks many times to do more to censor information found in documents. They fear reprisals against aid workers, activists and civilians named in the leaked data.

In addition, AP said it had evidence that fraudsters had used credit card numbers and other personal details revealed in some documents. Other leaks have led to people losing their jobs, or have ended relationships.

The US government has condemned Wikileaks several times, saying its work has harmed diplomatic relations and put the lives of staff in sensitive positions at risk.


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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Dunbal on Thursday September 01 2016, @12:34AM

    by Dunbal (3515) on Thursday September 01 2016, @12:34AM (#395960)

    there might be an actual story there.

    Yes, there might be. I know. Let's ask Leonardo DiCaprio what he thinks about it.

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