Category Archives: Wikileaks

Spy vs I

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Your International Spy Name is Countess Moonstone


Your Code Name: Clam ChowderYou Reside in: Paris

Why You’re a Good Spy: You have total recall

So, what have you been up to lately? I have been recovering from some weird stomach bug and going deep into the world of hackers, leakers, whistleblowers, spies, and Anonymii. On the one hand I have about a hundred pages of raw notes (only a slight exaggeration). On the other, wrestling this all into neat, linear narratives is easier said than done, even if you think “linear narratives” is easy to say, and if you do you’re either a voice coach or a pretentious twerp.

Not that we have anything against either of those.

In Operation Global Media Domination news, things have been progressing moderately well. Still not published in the Guardian, having to take yet another whack at the story, but having given up on getting a quote from the Minister in question, I’m just going to write around her. She will awaken in the morning completely surrounded by exclusive, internationally famous quotes from an angry and outraged citizenry. Some times “no comment” says volumes.

Was at the 100th anniversary of the Bunker Project, Canada’s #1 social media podcast. I’m very proud to have been singled out as the one who got them censored on iTunes, and I DIDN’T EVEN DROP ONE F BOMB THIS TIME! Mother would be so proud.

Flamed out on my audition to be part of a panel for CBC Radio’s On The Coast, discussing the week in BC. Reasons:

  1. I am SO NOT about the hyperlocal, particularly lately. Ask me about internet privacy in Australia or Russia’s weaponization of sex spam and I can talk and talk. Ask me where Fort Langley is and I’ll ask why I should care.
  2. Cathy says with all this talk of Anonymous and WikiLeaks and so on, I frighten people. This is true, of course. My own boss’s eyes got very wide when I listed the Anons I know who are in prison now (Kahuna, Trick, and Anarchaos, for starters… and Sabu, who is NOT in prison…but wait for it.). But I continue to believe there’s a market for it. Come on, Eli Roth, back up a blogger here! Scary sells!

Oh well, should, say, the morning show ever need to do an in-depth investigation of government corruption and CSIS, for instance, they know I’m their girl. Now to get back to emailing hackers for interviews and checking for a reply from the Department of Homeland Security…

And then this happened…

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Julian Assange by Cara Spoza

Julian Assange by Cara Spoza

Some people wonder why I like fangirl sites. Read this and wonder no more.

  • Lorraine, I really like your style, the way you write, the interviews you make are always very interesting and original…..why dont you do a “Greenwald” and move on to a better more well known venue? You’ve got plenty of talent.

  •  Thanks, that’s really kind of you to say. I do have an assignment from the Guardian, but they didn’t like the first draft. I have to raise my game if I want to work for them regularly.

    And the people at the Daily Dot are awesome. They are a great team of fun, helpful people all of whom have more pure journalism experience than I do. Much as I like to swear at editorial cuts and deadlines, they are great to work with and I’d miss them if I left.

    Also: let’s just say the major news outlets are not beating down my door. Anonymous, hackers and leaks are not mainstream enough to be very marketable, and my style is quirky. But I did have an interview Friday with On the Coast, CBC’s afternoon radio show; if it works out, I’ll be on a weekly panel discussing current events. Hope I was amusing and interesting enough in the interview. Wish me luck.

  • Xochitl

    Lorraine those are great news! I wish you the very best and keep us post it.

    Suerte

  •  Thanks!

  • LadyB

    Besides it’s clear you know what you’re talking about, raincoaster, and this is very rare when speaking of tech stuff/web journalism/hacking communities/Internet dynamics and related arguments.

    Maybe you could try the Guardian, they are changing editorial line in these very days  ;P

  •  I’m going to put you all down as references, okay? If I ask John Young he’ll just tell me to get fucked, references are lies, resumes are fabrications, etc, etc.

    I want to get my big Anon vs Pedo story out before I hit the Guardian up for that. They don’t really have anyone doing Anonymous on a regular basis except Barratt Brown and I can’t see myself knocking him aside

  • TooMuchSunshine

    Indeed. RC is more knowleadgeable in these areas than many self described “experts”

  • Thanks! now, tell all your local and national papers, tv and radio stations.

  • Xochitl

    I will, do you know Spanish?

  •  Nope. I can count to five in Spanish, thanks to Count von Count on Sesame Street, but that’s it, alas.

The Sabu Saga, Short Form

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Bank Robber is shocked SHOCKED at what Sabu tried to pull

Bank Robber is shocked at what Sabu tried to pull

Indeed, there are few words in the English language to describe what the former Anon formerly known as Sabu tried to pull on Wikileaks. Few words indeed, but enough to form the lyrics of the following:

If you need more information, you can find ALL of it at Nigel Parry’s comprehensive blog post. I was going to do that, but he did it first, more thoroughly, and better. Just go.

Action for Assange: UPDATED

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Action for Assange poster by AusFoWL

Action for Assange poster by AusFoWL

Being the smart, well-informed engaged citizens that readers of the ol’ raincoaster blog tend to be, you’ll no doubt be aware that at literally any moment Julian Assange’s fate is to be decided. The Supreme Court of the UK will either send him to Sweden (which will presumably roll over obediently and hand him over to the US for a lifetime of confinement and probable torture) or they will set him free after more than a year under house arrest. For review: he has not been charged with a crime in any country, although the US has a Grand Jury inquiry ongoing that leaks like a sieve. If it doesn’t, how’d I find out about it? I’ve got better things to do than hang around streetcorners in Alexandria, Virginia.

Above is a poster from the Australian branch of Friends of Wikileaks. If you’re at all inclined to support WL, go ahead and sign up for this interesting new activist network, but expect it to be significantly more IRL than most. Below, I’m posting a link to Christine Assange‘s 60 (yes, 60) talking points, as well as the full text of a letter to British MP’s Nick Clegg and Teresa May. Initially I said those letters wouldn’t have an effect, but I stand corrected; as the author reminded me, things are indeed different now. Politicians may be no less self-interested than ever, but their self-interest now lies in listening to the Will of the People; they can hear the tumbrils approaching.

Christine Assange’s 60 Talking Points: a sample:

Christine Assange, mother of WikiLeaks founder and Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange, has spent many long months reaching out to supporters and urging them to contact their local political representatives. Recognising that many politicians do not even know the true story behind WikiLeaks and her son’s legal battles, she asks supporters to give them the facts as well as requesting their assistance.

Christine today used her Twitter account and the #fact4mp hashtag to post 60 important talking points for supporters to disseminate:

1. Wikileaks and Assange have not been charged with any crime in any country in the world. See http://justice4assange.com

2. WikiLeaks and Assange have been recognized for quality investigative journalism with many prestigious awards. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange

3. WikiLeaks has a perfect record regarding information reliability. No government has denied the authenticity of any documents.

4. WikiLeaks redacts its documents, so to date not one person has been physically harmed by its publications.

5. WikiLeaks exposes government and corporate corruption, fraud, shady deals, war crimes, torture, and kidnapping. It is in the public interest to know these things.

6. WikiLeaks partnered with The Guardian, New York Times, Der Spiegal, Le Monde, and El Pais to publish Cablegate. Why target only WikiLeaks?

7. WikiLeaks acts in accordance with traditional journalism. It publishes information given by various sources.

8. WikiLeaks acts like traditional media but protects its sources with a secure anonymous Drop Box.

9. WikiLeaks is a legal, legitimate, online news publisher, recognized as such by other journalist organizations worldwide.

10. WikiLeaks is a non-profit independent publisher funded by donations from ordinary citizens from around the world.

You can view the whole list by clicking on the link above.

I Am FREE

I Am FREE

If you’d like to poster or protest outside your friendly neighborhood Australian embassy for their abandonment of a citizen abroad, here is a handy-dandy roundup thereof, worldwide.

If you’d like to do it anonymously, we’ve already featured some instructions on making an Anonymous mask, but here is a great roundup of more, complete with security features eg telling you to wear gloves when sculpting clay, so you don’t leave fingerprints.

There is an Avaaz petition up to support Julian and tell Australian politicians that they have a duty to their citizens abroad. A duty they have noticeably not performed in this case.

and now, the Letter to MPs:

Continue reading →

The Epistle to the Stratforians

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dear Stratfor clients, let us know how you really feel?

dear Stratfor clients, let us know how you really feel?

Yes, if you looked closely on Twitter there WAS something more interesting than the Oscars going on tonight. Well, photosynthesis is more interesting, but you know what I mean.

Anonymous and Wikileaks combined forces to leak over five million emails from “private CIA” company Stratfor. Anonymous has gone up against Stratfor before, but by routing the dox through Wikileaks they leverage a chain of media relationships and thus publicity that Anon alone could never reach. Said it before and I will, in fact, say it again: Wikileaks is a PR agency for documents. Wikileaks had a vested interest in this leak because over 4000 of the emails mention Julian Assange or Wikileaks.

Just when everyone thought they had become; a) irrelevant and b) preoccupied, Wikileaks comes out with a fatal stroke that, because of its more than 25 international media partnerships, is as instantly ubiquitous as it is effective.

On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered “global intelligence” company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal’s Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor’s web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.

Did I say “fatal?” I sure as hell did. Take a gander at this document, a mere two hours old.

From: george.friedman@stratfor.com

To: fred.burton@stratfor.com

Subject: Draft

Date: 2012-02-26 19:02:07

It is with great personal disappointment I have to inform you that I will resign from my position as CEO for Stratfor to immediate effect.

Please rest assured that this decision was not an easy. But in the light of the recent events, especially the release of our company emails by WikiLeaks, I have decided that stepping down is in the best interest of Stratfor and its customer base.

I want to emphasize that this will have no effect on Stratfor’s business or its members and we will continue to provide state-of-the-art intelligence services.

Regarding the latest breach, Stratfor is fully in control of the situation However, while I cannot take any personal responsibility for this incident, I still have to admit that mistakes have been made on our side. To be clear: We certainly do not condone any criminal activities by groups like Anonymous or other hackers. This is theft and we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice. But we must acknowledge that this incident would not have been possible if Stratfor had implemented stronger data protection mechanisms – which will be the case from now on. Indeed we will immediately move to implement the latest, and most comprehensive, data security measures.

While I played no role in our technical operations, as the company’s CEO I do accept full responsibility thus will resign from my position effective immediately.

Again, my sincerest apologies for this whole unfortunate incident.

Sincerely,
George Friedman

Yes, George Friedman, former CEO of Stratfor, is officially Fried, if not Fired. That’s a neat trick, saying you can’t take any personal responsibility but that you do accept full responsibility; not to mention claiming to be fully in control of a situation where five million of your security company’s “secure” emails, many of them mortifying, have been released.

Mortifying? How about institutionalized bigotry and opportunistic, malevolent greed for starters, not to mention this high-level security company being shown up, repeatedly, on the security front. There are five million more emails to sift through, and a press conference coming up in a few hours. Who knows what lulz may come?

https://twitter.com/#!/wikileaks/status/173887094584901632