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Ecuador Spent $5 Million Protecting and Spying On Julian Assange, Says Report (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the two-for-the-price-of-one dept.

Citing reports from The Guardian and Focus Ecuador, The Verge reports that Ecuador's intelligence program spent at least $5 million "on an elaborate security and surveillance network around WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange." The intelligence program was known as "Operator Hotel," which began as "Operation Guest" when Assange took refuge in Ecuador's UK embassy in 2012. From the report: Operation Hotel has allegedly covered expenses like installing CCTV cameras and hiring a security team to "secretly film and monitor all activity in the embassy," including Assange's daily activities, moods, and interactions with staff and visitors. The Guardian estimates Ecuadorian intelligence agency Senain has spent at least $5 million on Assange-related operations, based on documents they reviewed. The report details attempts to improve Assange's public image and potentially smuggle him out of the embassy if he was threatened. But it also writes that relations between Assange and Ecuador have badly deteriorated over the past several years. In 2014, Assange allegedly breached the embassy's network security, reading confidential diplomatic material and setting up his own secret communications network.

3 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It's not paranoia by tinkerton · · Score: 1, Troll

    He crosses the CIA and the US government. So they destroy his reputation and they destroy him to show everyone who's boss. They just can't help themselves, it's standard procedure . From the article:

    In an extraordinary breach of diplomatic protocol, Assange managed to compromise the communications system within the embassy and had his own satellite internet access, according to documents and a source who wished to remain anonymous. By penetrating the embassy’s firewall, Assange was able to access and intercept the official and personal communications of staff, the source claimed.

    In tweets on Tuesday WikiLeaks denied that Assange had compromised the embassy’s network. “That’s an anonymous libel aligned with the current UK-US government onslaught against Mr Assange,” WikiLeaks wrote, adding that its editor-in-chief was not in a position to respond.

    .
    Of course it's a made up claim. That's also people just doing their job.
    Your job is to be gullible and to despise Assange.

  2. the enemy of your enemy is not your friend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Even if you think the gov'ts of the USA and UK are pure evil, that doesn't make Assange some come lately Robin Hood. He is a wicked man with his own wicked agenda. He isn't looking to liberate you, he's looking to be the one in power over you.

  3. Skepticism required by barcarolle · · Score: 0, Troll

    The Verge: US media outlet. The Guardian: UK media outlet. Focus Ecuador: nobody ever heard of them before until now, but The Guardian felt it necessary that the story be co-written by people associated with it. That this may be disinformation is at the very least a strong possibility.