My question is, did Wiki just expose the tools the CIA has to surveil these devices or was there actually proof dropped that they are actually surveilling these devices in the United States. The former is exposing cyber weapons that could be used to defend against foreign enemies and the latter is illegal and should result in hyugggge repercussions.
They exposed what the tools do, not the coding for them.
They also released sample emails, conversations etc… captured with this technology in the US and abroad. They specifically state they redacted the names of US citizens giving them numbers instead. Now they don’t make any comment about whether these were warranted FISA taps, probably because they don’t know.
But they do give examples of the technology being used on US citizens.
This is bigger than politics. This is hair raising stuff.
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This is essentially my point and my reluctance to accept Wikileaks or Assange (sp?) as some sort of savior of the American people. We don’t know the context and we’re trusting they redacted “American names”, right? That’s a lot of trust for an organization that steals information and is funded by who (I don’t actually know)?
I also basically agree with what I believe it was @SkyzykS wrote. This is what happens when people value security over freedom. This is the continued results of the Patriot Act and this is exactly what the founders warned against.
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“a republic, ma’am, if you can keep it…” 
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Wikileaks started with Somalia.
I think part of the direction towards the west is the fact that everyone expects you to get it in the ass without lube in Russia, China, Iran, etc.
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They’re also at the mercy of who leaks them information.
They just provide protection to whistleblowers and attest the authenticity of the documents.
They don’t hack or leak themselves
Thanks, 2busy:
Look…I get what everybody is saying about these other countries…but it is also true that Putin…and especially the Chinese and Iranians don’t like being exposed and “outed” on the World Stage. They don’t like their activities exposed…and they don’t like being embarrassed by activities that don’t paint them in a positive light.
When Assange begins to post some of their covert goings on…I will still think he is a hypocritical attention-whore who likes little girls…but it will at least lend a little more credibility to his claim as being some type of “Truth Crusader…”
Who cares what Assange’s character is like? Do you judge the product by the creator? Freaking Walt Disney was an anti-semite, does that mean mickey mouse is evil?
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Better than praising the government
A lot of people care and, ya, sometimes you do judge the product by the creator. If Assange is purposefully targeting the U.S. government or the “West” in general as part of some vendetta then there are credibility concerns regarding what he “exposes”. Is he purposefully withholding documents that give context to the rest of the dump? Is he really redacting what he says he’s redacting? Accepting what he exposes as true or the whole story requires trust, which requires an assessment of character.
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…to some people, yes. They can’t separate the two…
You and raj and anyone else can think what you want to about the guy, john.
And guess what? So can I.
Put a statue of the guy in your front yard if you want…
If you feel he is this great repository of Light and Truth…I’ll be the last to stop you from thinking so.
This is the issue I have with wikileaks. Normally I’m on the side of the fence where all leaks are good, but when 1 organization almost exclusively targets the US while claiming to be a beacon of truth for the PLANET, I can’t help but question the intent.
Being a pedo doesn’t help him much either.
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Flee charges certainly doesn’t help his cause.
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Where is the evidence that he’s a pedo? I’ve only heard about the rape stuff.
Another point I want to make.
Life is FULL of a lot of fucked-up choices…pluses and minuses…weighing options when there are no good ones…accepting the good with the bad…
I respect the people in U.S. Intelligence who fight a War and often risk their Lives…(yes, for me and my way of Life)…that is nasty and dirty…and (God forbid)…may skirt along the edges of being Constitutional…so that I can get up in the morning; go to work; and think about “March Madness” when I get home.
And guess what, folks? I’ve been hurt more financially, ethically and constitutionally by Local City Boards than I have by U.S. Intelligence.
Is knowing that they have the ability to know I watch a lot of Sci-Fi on Netflix (sorry folks…google you name and see all the personal shit that comes up…)…worth compromising not only the ability of them to do their jobs in a nasty World…but also puts many of their Lives in danger?
Fuck Assange.
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While I agree the job they hold is vital and dangerous, I can’t find a way to see a downside of a more educated population. If taxpayers are going to foot the bill for this type of wide scale monitoring I’d rather it be with our eyes open instead of with our heads in the sand.
Side note, anyone that was surprised by this leak hasn’t been paying attention. The NSA has had root access to hardware for years, why would the CIA not? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 30x, shame on me.
pfury:
“Educated Population”?
Russian, Chinese and Iranian hackers, maybe…but I am almost 100% certain that the average person does not analyze the thousands of pages of information that Assange puts out (myself included).
To make it worst; many often depend on biased sources to interpret it all. (My source is U.S. Intelligence itself…biased against Assange for sure…and they state that their job is compromised and peoples Lives are put in danger.)
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I have a hard time finding a way to justify the American public not knowing this stuff is going on. Whatever conclusions are drawn from things like this aside, I’d rather have this information than not have it.
The CIA is more than capable of refuting these leaks if they’re not true. Since they’re most likely true, the silver lining is the American public deserves to know, and now they do.
Fair enough.