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China's Politburo Behind Google Cyber-Attack?
theodp writes "While Wikileaks itself is under a DoS attack, details about the US State Department cables obtained by WikiLeaks are starting to come out via the mainstream media. Among the most newsworthy, reports Techcrunch's Erick Schonfeld, is one set which deals with the massive computer attack on Google and other companies which was first revealed last January. According to the NY Times, some of the new leaked cables point directly at China's Politburo for instigating the original attacks, which should shed some more light on why the White House and State Department backed Google so vociferously at the time. Developing, as Drudge likes to say."
Hrm... an alternate headline might be: "Is the United States behind the DDoS attack on WikiLeaks?"
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means it's true?
So this means that Wikileaks is an evil organization jeopardizing lives and setting back the cause of freedom and democracy, since that's what the American government been saying? Just like how Osama and the Taliban were freedom fighters against the "evil empire" Soviets and Saddam was a moderate secular leader who was the bulwark against the evil Iranian mullahs back in the 1980's?
Accepting this as truth is Western/American hypocrisy at its finest. As usual, people here will believe something they want to be true, because they hate China and hate the fact that it is no longer an impoverished third-world country but instead is an emerging power capable of competing against the Americans on many fronts, logical consistency be damned.
I think that hardly anyone is surprised that China's Politburo (a group of 24 people who oversee the Communist Party of China) was behind the hacking of the Chinese Google office computers. You can see the seriousness of the issue after reading Google's response to the hacking and their threat to pull out of China all together and also after reading the Department of the State's involvement in this issue. The Department of the State, and someone as high up as Hillary Clinton, getting involved in this issue shows how important this single hacking event was, and not just because Google is everyone's the current favorite company.
US asks China to explain Google hacking claims
The Chinese government has proven that they'll do anything to stop distribution of negative information about them. If they're behind the DDoS the goal probably isn't blacking out WikiLeaks... just suppressing it long enough that they can configure the "Great Firewall" to block it (content filters, etc).
It makes sense for a few reasons:
1. The Chinese government has already proven they're not above this.
2. As inept as the US government can be I think they know they can't stop the spread of this information.
3. To public knowledge, the US government hasn't initiated a DDoS. Why show your hand and capabilities on something like this? It's a waste.
There's also a good chance it's another party or that WikiLeaks is just making it up b/c the guys are complete attention wh0res (don't think for a second they're doing it for a "greater good"... the founder _loves_ the spotlight.
There is always someone who, after something is relieved, says "told you!" Well, one thing is to speculate, another is to have some [more or less] solid proof. Or are your speculations "good enough"?
I know why. Because Slashdot is full of irrational China-haters.
This post asserts one of the silliest things I've ever heard. Why would we engineer a DDoS to block release of AMERICAN GOVERNMENT documents, which no matter what it says, we can easily explain away by saying it's just American propaganda, because that's exactly what these documents are? State Department communications are American propaganda directed toward other countries essentially. We welcome the release of these documents, because they make the Americans look worse, and thus us look better, and the Americans are taking heavy handed actions against Wikileaks and Assange, which makes them hypocrites if they then try to complain about our actions against say the Falun Gong.
But no, it's always China's fault. China is the new bogeyman. I suppose it makes the simpletons here on Slashdot feel better.
And you take a single email (cable) referencing hearsay as "solid proof"?
Are you really surprised that diplomatic cables between US diplomats express a "US world view"?
Assassination of Julian Assange wouldn't accomplish anything. He's just the messenger.
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Diplomats are sometimes pawns or go pieces. Depends upon the game. Also what is at risk. It is better for diplomats to not be told something, or to be told a half truth or lie than factual information. Less security problems if the diplomat turns double agent, or is retained for questioning or the eventual human slip up. Reports from diplomats to their home country, may contain some factual information, but is usually spun and twisted. Again it would depend on the assignment. Negotiations usually contain good information. Reports on political activities and observations of others negotiations usually contain sparse data or outright misinformation from the other parties. So... I am really hesitant to accept these documents as credible. Diplomats are like politicians. I don't trust what politicians say.
I suspect I might disagree with a more detailed explanation of your viewpoint, but I vehemently disagree with the anonymous use of mod points to beat you down with a Troll mod, simply because the moderator disagrees with you.
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I think this tactic is known as 'running cover'. Assange knows that someone has to be the focal point for the ogranisation, to make contact with media reps and various others in order to ensure the responsible dissemination of the data. Doing so allows a great many others to work quietly, undisturbed in the background. Say what you like about his motivation, he's chosen that role. I'd argue that, as someone who believes more in daylight than shadows, he's using the spotlight to keep himself out of harm's way.
Sure. This actually is one of the largest leaks of information in modern history. It's sensational in its very essence. Given that wikileaks' reason for being is to disseminate leaked information as effectively as possible, advance press is perfectly understandable.
Great idea. How about sharing it quietly with a number of the most reputable media organisations in the Western world? How about giving them months of prep time, so they could conduct analysis. How about -shocking, I know- even telling the affected agencies what was about to be released and offering them the opportunity to assist in the redaction process? That's exactly what they did.
Now, there's no way a government could be seen to be negotiating with them, so this might be seen as grandstanding, but who knows what contacts might have been made behind the scenes? (Well, wikileaks, of course, but... you get what I'm saying.)
Indeed they are. And indeed they have.
You can characterise what they do as attention-whoring if you like. The fact is that their job is to get as much attention as possible on the data they're releasing. If you suffer from this process, you won't be glad about it. I can accept that.
I have friends who were directly affected by information divulged to wikileaks some years ago. While I'm still angry at those who so cynically used wikileaks to release context-free data that wrongly created some very nasty implications, I don't blame wikileaks for releasing the information. That's just what they do.
In fact, I'd rather see wikileaks do it than others. While they're occasionally guilty of editorialising about their data, at least they release all of it, providing others with the opportunity to draw their own conclusions. Most media organisations do not do this. They run with what they think will lead, and leave the rest by the roadside.
I don't always like the results of what wikileaks does, but at least they are exactly what the claim to be.
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
If Wikileaks was not an intelligence front then I am sure the US could easily claim copyright/IP ownership of material being distributed by them and block/destroy their presence online. Seriously anyone that believes Wikileaks is the real McCoy is a twit of the lowest order.
The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.