Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

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.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2016, @05:33AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2016, @05:33AM (#396042)

    1) Where is the proof that anything Wikileaks has done has caused any damage to decent people?

    2) Any kind of data scrubbing takes alot of time and money. Wikileaks needs more money, today you can donate, including using bitcoin.

    3) Given the choice of current situation or deciding to withhold any data until perfectly sanitized I think the current situation is far better.

    If they have nothing to hide, why are the elites so very worried?

  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2016, @01:13PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2016, @01:13PM (#396154)

    3) Given the choice of current situation or deciding to withhold any data until perfectly sanitized I think the current situation is far better

    They withhold information ALL THE TIME and time their release to maximize the political impact. They are purely a propaganda machine wearing a veneer of lofty goals, or at least, that is what they've turned into. Why anyone trusts their story any more than the government's story is beyond me. They unabashedly grind a huge anti-US axe, and lots of idiots see them as the truth-revealers. It is amazing where idealistic blind faith leads one. They don't give two-shits about anyone, just as long as they can advance their political position.

    • (Score: 2) by tibman on Thursday September 01 2016, @02:50PM

      by tibman (134) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2016, @02:50PM (#396185)

      Their "curated" version is often just propaganda. But the raw information is pretty good.

      --
      SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.