Uncensored WikiLeaks cables appear online
Some 250,000 secret American diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks have become available on the internet, uncensored and unredacted, sparking concerns about the safety of persons mentioned in them.
Until now, the whistleblower organisation has released selected cables online, with some names blacked out to protect informants or others who could be at risk. But one internet user has now published a link to the full database – and an angry row has blown up over how the encrypted password leaked out.
WikiLeaks has defended itself against accusations that it may have put lives at risk and in a series of Twitter postings blamed individuals who used to work with the organisation and The Guardian newspaper for inadvertently disclosing a password which could be used to open the file containing the cables online.
The US State Department said WikiLeaks had informed the United States in advance of the document releases, but ignored US appeals that making them public could endanger lives and put US national security at risk.
“WikiLeaks did advise us of the impending release of information and of its intention to continue to release classified documents,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
“We have made clear our views and concerns about illegally disclosed classified information and the continuing risk to individuals and national security that such releases cause.
“WikiLeaks has, however, ignored our requests not to release or disseminate any US documents it may possess and has continued its well-established pattern of irresponsible, reckless, and frankly dangerous actions.”
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is believed to control the organisation’s Twitter account, accused an unnamed “mainstream news organization” of having “disclosed all 251k unredacted cables.”
Later, he alleged The Guardian newspaper had made public the alleged password-protected file in a book on WikiLeaks published earlier this year.
He said the “disclosure” was a violation of the confidentiality agreement between WikiLeaks and Alan Rusbridger, its editor-in-chief, signed on 30 July last year.
A Guardian spokeswoman said: “It’s nonsense to suggest the Guardian’s WikiLeaks book has compromised security in any way.
“Our book about WikiLeaks was published last February. It contained a password, but no details of the location of the files and we were told it was a temporary password which would expire and be deleted in a matter of hours.
“It was a meaningless piece of information to anyone except the person(s) who created the database.
“No concerns were expressed when the book was published and if anyone at WikiLeaks had thought this compromised security they have had seven months to remove the files.
“That they didn’t do so clearly shows the problem was not caused by the Guardian’s book.”