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Student Uncovers US Military Secrets

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the magic-market-don't-cut-it-no-more dept.

karthik_r085 writes "According to The Register, An Irish graduate student has uncovered words blacked-out of declassified US military documents using nothing more than a dictionary and text analysis software. Claire Whelan, a computer science student at Dublin City University was given the problems by her PhD supervisor as a diversion. David Naccache, a cryptographer with Gemplus, challenged her to discover the words missing from two documents: one was a memo to George Bush, and another concerned military modifications to civilian helicopters."

9 of 484 comments (clear)

  1. So if this is true by Zorak+Man · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    What this means, is the Government messed up? No way.. thats impossible

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  2. This headline is a bit hyperbolic by Saint+Stephen · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Slashdot, this is yellow journalism.

    Anyway this technique is easily foiled; just produce a document with randomly increased or shrink Blacked out boxes; or just subsitute all blacked out phrases with "***". Even if it's a photostat you can photoshop it.

    I"m not impressed.

  3. Re:WMD!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Wasn't it already? Certainly it harbours known terrorists who have killed vast numbers of people. Oh, but some Americans think they are "irish" so its OK to go around killing English people. Hoho, really funny asshat.

  4. Re:YO by Meneudo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    You must be new here... :P

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  5. Re:Then maybe I'm stupid too by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    Let's see, the U.S. freed the Phillipines from a Spanish tyranny and rather than subsuming the islands, the U.S. eventually set them off on their own.

    Most of the mideast prior to the actions of western oil companies were vaste wastelands traversed by ignorant nomads. The western oil companies discovered the oil, gave it value, and it then was stolen by the disgusting murderers that call themselves governments in the mideast.

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  6. Re:WMD!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Get the fuck out of our country Brit. Then we will stop bombing you.

  7. Re:Then maybe I'm stupid too by MisterFancypants · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    I suspect that if the Army had shown a merciless Iron Hand in the immediate aftermath of the war -- shoot-on-sight curfews, round-ups, summary trials and executions -- we would have instilled a level of fear-based respect we don't have now, not to mention preservation of infrastructure and law and order.

    But that would have sparked a revolution back here in the US. You shithead.

  8. Re:bloody liar you are! by samhalliday · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    you sir, are an arsehole... and you should worry about the problems of your own country and not stick your nose into others. i speak for everyone from northern ireland when i say this.

  9. Re:bloody liar you are! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Well fuck you and many of your Irish-American friends who haven't got a fuckin' clue about what's going on in N Ireland. It's bastards like you that fund the terrorism and are responsible for the murders of innocents, including children. You say that you don't even talk to protestants - obviously you're just a wanker. What hope for humanity with cunts like you in the world.