Wikileaks

[renaultssoftware]

I missed that, it wasn't all that clear in your first post.

[Jasen]

Quote: Originally Posted by tlarkin Well, if I ran the security in the military anything that needed secret clearance probably wouldn't be on a network, or if it was a very small, controlled and completely segregated network. You really don't need software updates and such if your system is enclosed and completely cut off from the outside world.

Huh, so every computer that accessed "secret clearance" files would have complete copies of every database needed on the local hard drive? And would not be able to upload (or download) updates to files?

Sounds very logical.

[NovaScotian]

Arianna Huffington: The Media Gets It Wrong on WikiLeaks: It's About Broken Trust, Not Broken Condoms.

This is long, but definitely a viewpoint I share. I think she's hit the nail on the head.

[NovaScotian]

This surprised me: Congressional Hearing On Wikileaks Surprisingly Focuses More On Gov't Overly Secretive Actions

Apparently there's a hefty slice of the US Congress that thinks the US response to Wikileaks is over the top. I like this bit:

Quote: Rep. William Delahunt appeared to echo these sentiments and again noted that secrecy by the government has been the real issue: "Secrecy is the trademark of totalitarianism. In contrast, transparency and openness is why democracy is all about," Delahunt said. "There is far too much secrecy and overclassification in the executive branch, and I think it puts American democracy at risk."

[renaultssoftware]

Indeed. Linux could be a democratic platform, and Windows a totalitarianist (incorrect) platform?

[NovaScotian]

In spite of its futility, the US is now looking to filter Wikileaks content from government computers: US Government Seeks 'Willful Denial' Software That Will Block Wikileaks Data From Federal Employees. I particularly like these lines in Mike Masnick's analysis:

Quote: According to some reports, the federal government is reaching out to security firms to see if they can build a system to block all access to Wikileaks content from within the federal government's computer system. One company asked about this notes that it's different than what they normally do, which is focused on keeping documents in a network (too late for that), rather than architecting a system to keep documents out.

[roncross@cox.net]

Apple has cut out Wikileaks apps from its apps store. What's next? Is Google going to eliminate and stop indexing anything with Wikileak in the title? Are ISP providers going to start blocking these sites? Where does it end and we thought China was bad when it comes to censorship.

What's the use of free speech if the government can just twist everyone else's arm to sanction someone they don't like. Big business and the government work hand in hand. Slowly but surely, we are becoming a totalitarian society and it sucks.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Apple-...&asset=&ccode=

[renaultssoftware]

Apple is "closed" according to Adobe and many others. Apple has the right to do whatever they want with apps on their store. Do you not have to sign a SLA to submit stuff to the app store?

[NovaScotian]

The issue, RS, is not whether they're within their legal rights to cut it off -- of course they are -- the issue is that they have bowed to government pressure to do so and free speech be damned.

[fazstp]

Seems rather counterintuitive to me. Doesn't it mean that the only people who will be able to access WikiLeaks are the people they wanted to keep the secrets from in the first place? Wouldn't they prefer to keep abreast of what everyone else knows about them?

[NovaScotian]

Exactly. By so vigorously trying to block access to Wikileaks, they are, instead, accomplishing two things: 1) drawing attention to them (what's all the fuss about?); i.e., giving them a cachet of tantalizingly "forbidden", and 2) they're denying folks in government and the USAF from seeing (except at home) what everyone else in the world with an Internet connection can already see.

The government (probably in the form of the TSA who are known to be largely incompetent in such manners) simply doesn't understand the difference between a physical document and a digital one. They haven't understood that once the documents were "out there" they were out there forever and their security classification means nothing at all -- it is null and void. For all intents and purposes, a leaked document is evermore an unclassified public document.

[roncross@cox.net]

Quote: Originally Posted by NovaScotian Exactly. By so vigorously trying to block access to Wikileaks, they are, instead, accomplishing two things: 1) drawing attention to them (what's all the fuss about?); i.e., giving them a cachet of tantalizingly "forbidden", and 2) they're denying folks in government and the USAF from seeing (except at home) what everyone else in the world with an Internet connection can already see.

3.) They give tremendous creditability to the very agent they are trying to discredit. Alas, WikiLeaks is really really important and everyone should be concerned.

Quote: Originally Posted by NovaScotian They haven't understood that once the documents were "out there" they were out there forever and their security classification means nothing at all -- it is null and void. For all intents and purposes, a leaked document is evermore an unclassified public document.

Totally agree to this fact and the logic of the statement.
WikiLeaks = find "U.S. directory" -name "*(all documents)" /dev/null 2>&1(only print the secret ones).

[NovaScotian]

Now a task force (from the Guardian): WTF? OMG, LOL! CIA gives WikiLeaks taskforce naughty name

Quote: The CIA has launched a taskforce to assess the impact of 250,000 leaked US diplomatic cables. Its name? WikiLeaks Task Force, or WTF for short.

See how web savvy they are?

Ars weighs in too: CIA's WikiLeaks Task Force: WTF, indeed

Quote: Actually, what makes it a WTF operation isn’t just the task force’s acronym. It’s the WTF’s mandate: not to launch any subterfuge against the radical disclosure entity—that would be a job for NSA, most likely, or maybe Saturday Night Live—but rather to study its disclosure’s impact on the CIA’s ability to recruit snitches and retain the trust of spy agencies worldwide.

[trevor]

Quote: Originally Posted by roncross@cox.net Apple has cut out Wikileaks apps from its apps store. What's next?

The Register: Worthless iPhone 'Wikileaks App' removed from Apple Store

Quote: Originally Posted by The Register "Wikileaks App" was a paid app ($1.99) which did nothing more than present the Wikileaks Twitter feed and website – both of which can of course still be seen by iDevice users with sufficient energy to activate their browser and/or Twitter platform of choice, RSS app etc.

I really can't gather up enough energy to care about Apple pulling a $2 app that was nothing more than a site scraper for an existing web page and feed. In fact, I think it should be pulled for simple consumer-protection reasons. The pulled app gave the purchaser nothing of value that wasn't already there. Is it really easier to click on "Wikileaks app" than on "Safari"?

Trevor

[NovaScotian]

I agree entirely, Trevor; at least with the ridiculousness of a $2 app to scrape a couple of other sites. My beef is that the app did no harm and Apple took the easy way out.

[renaultssoftware]

Quote: Originally Posted by NovaScotian I agree entirely, Trevor; at least with the ridiculousness of a $2 app to scrape a couple of other sites. My beef is that the app did no harm and Apple took the easy way out.

Exactly my thoughts. Some apps are nothing more than condensed web apps.

[benwiggy]

Apple hasn't yet said why they withdrew the app. Some speculation has suggested they did so because it breaks the rules on donationware.

What is worrying is that apparently Mastercard is now being courted by the Record industry to stop payments made to pirates. That is the scariest thing to come out of this: when your payments are being scrutinized and disallowed if thought to be anti-establishment.

[roncross@cox.net]

Quote: Originally Posted by trevor I really can't gather up enough energy to care about Apple pulling a $2 app that was nothing more than a site scraper for an existing web page and feed. Trevor

My point is not that the app is cheap or worthless. The point is that Apple and other corporations are being muscled by the U.S. government to break ties with WikiLeaks. In the link below, the developer states his intention on what he wanted to do with the donation. I'm sure his app is not the first of its kind.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/tec...icle969594.ece

Quote: The app has no official ties with WikiLeaks, but its developer did promise to donate all the income to the site.

Apple states they pulled it because it violates some law but fail to describe which law is being violated. To me, this is just a cop out. However, this is a smaller issue of the overall agenda to reduce our free speech while at the same time increasing it for corporations. If this doesn't wake us up, then our freedom may already be a passing memory.

On another note, google will keep the app and I applause them. But maybe they too will succumb to pressure from the U.S. Who knows?

[renaultssoftware]

Quote: Originally Posted by benwiggy What is worrying is that apparently Mastercard is now being courted by the Record industry to stop payments made to pirates. That is the scariest thing to come out of this: when your payments are being scrutinized and disallowed if thought to be anti-establishment.

All this makes me want to move to Greenland.

[roncross@cox.net]

Quote: Originally Posted by benwiggy Apple hasn't yet said why they withdrew the app. Some speculation has suggested they did so because it breaks the rules on donationware.

To this I would say, what business is it of Apple what I do with the proceeds of the money that I collect from the sale of my product? Does it really matter to Apple whether I use the money from the sales to buy milk or to give it all away to charity? If this is the case, then something has serially gone wrong in our society. How many other apps fall in this category that will need to be pulled from the app store?