WikiLeaks admits insider deleted loads of its data WikiLeaks has explained the non-appearance of Bank of America data it frequently promised to publish: a defector took the only copies with him when he left the organisation and has now deleted the files. Daniel Domscheit-Berg left WikiLeaks last summer and took the documents with him following a dispute with Julian Assange. …
>"He stole back from us the stuff he originally stole from BoA."
No, he didn't, because he never stole it from BoA in the first place. He was a wikileaks employee, not the BoA insider who initially leaked the data. He also isn't the member of the Department of Homeland Security who leaked the no-fly list, and most likely not the hacker who raided the neo-nazis mail spools. Try reading the article again, this time without your blinkers on.
Actually, ArmanX, a look through the WikiLeaks archives would be sufficient to disabuse you of that notion - but then again, one doesn't really have to know anything to post a comment on an El Reg thread - of for that matter, to be an El Reg blogger....
Henri
That Assange only has data on Uncle Sam and not China or Russia or anyone else... Lets face it.
The US is a paper tiger when it comes to this stuff. Russia? Had Assange had anything on Russia, you can bet the old KGB types would have already taken care of Julian.
(They don't put up with his antics. The US? Well they have an image and laws that prevent them from doing things.... look at how well Gitmo turned out.)
This guy may have done Julian a huge favor. Too bad Julian won't stop to thank him.
"Surely one of these idiots thought to make a backup copy of these things somewhere.
I mean what kind of buffoon has that sort of important information and doesn't make an encrypted copy to an external HDD or whatever?"
Lots here for everyone; there was a hostile 'insider'; internal security was lax; there were no backups; Assange is a flake who claimed there were encrypted backup copies all over the world, and I laughed my arse off when I read that someone wants money from him, remembering as I did that he wants to establish a pay wall, that he is going to do his autobiog, that he claimed the data were 'his', and other money oriented blah that came from out of his ugly upper orifice.
As I said, the wheels are coming off the short bus.
"Assange's organisation confirmed on Twitter that Berg had destroyed 20 gigabytes of information from the Bank of America, the entire US no-fly list and US intercept arrangements for 100 companies as well as details and emails from 20 neo-Nazi groups and a German far right group."
Now what possible good reason would Daniel have for doing that willfully destructive, and some would even say, treacherous act? I hope he was well paid for it if it is true, for it doesn't reflect too well upon him as a fearless defender of everyone's right to know what is being done to them and/or what is being planned against them, even as it is being touted as being good for them, which is what democracy pimps as it pumps out what is really neo-conservative fascism in essence and form.
Well, I think that if Assange can release confidential data in return for humongous cash donations, then why can't Berg delete data in return for cash?
There's also the unwarranted assumption that Berg deleted the data with without Assange's consent. If we are led to believe the unbelievable - that Assange the Infallible had (gasp!) no backups of the data (really?) - then I wonder if this is all just play-acting and Assange took a hefty sum from BoA et al to delete data.
So the most damaged information that could have come from WikiLeaks has been deleted - JUST LIKE THAT! That is the biggest load of BS I have ever heard. First and foremost there is only one copy of the data - yeah right, then it is stolen - yeah right, then it is destroyed. This is a laught a minute if it wasn't so down right deceitful. I am sure that this bank of american information would have brought down America so no suprise it has "BEEN DELETED", though nothing can stop America's demise now any way.
If the US goes down your country will be along for the ride. Differance is that the USA can still grow/raise enough food for itself and drill enough oil (ND has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia) As for stopping the decline I beg to differ. It can be stopped its called the 2012 elections. Provided they do away with "baseline budgeting" and get spending down to pre 2008 levels.
Guys, reality check.
The BOFH has the ability to delete every version of the data to which he has access. So unless there were regular offsite copies made, then it is equally likely that the BOFH has in fact deleted all copies.
And I thought destruction of provate property and extortion was illegal?
Personally I hope the Germanic twat gets his ass slung in a work camp for this.
Dweeb
"Personally I hope the Germanic twat gets his ass slung in a work camp for this."
I've posted up information showing that Assange could not guarantee the safety of sources in relation to terrorism disclosures, and this seems to bear the point out:
"The documents in question were stored on the WikiLeaks server until late summer 2010, when Domscheit-Berg left the organization , taking the files with him upon his departure.
Now Domscheit-Berg says that these documents were "shredded over the past few days in order to ensure that the sources are not compromised." WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could not guarantee safe handling of the documents, he says. "
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,781581,00.html#ref=nlint
Assange has already said that there would be 'collateral damage', and his infamous comments that informers have only themselves to blame are on the record: I've posted information pertaining to both data sets. Domscheit-Berg seems to have been concerned over precisely these things.
"And I thought destruction of provate property and extortion was illegal?"
All of which reminds me, these data were not the property of one Assange, J.. They were stolen. As far as extortion is concerned, I don't see any demands by Berg for the safe return of these data, albeit belonging to an organisation other than Assange's.
Personally I'm getting a bit tired of the hysterics and the personality culting. And that's not just Assange; Berg appears to have gotten himself kicked out of the CCC for wikileaks-related claims.
At first I was mildly annoyed at Berg for doing this, but then I realised it's actually wikileaks (read: Assange) who's saying this, so it might be an attempt to discredit Berg or force him to show he's still got the data by releasing it.
The sad thing is that this leaking idea is going down the crapper in a hurry and that in fact the anonymous/lulzsec/whoever bunch are currently the most reliable public uncoverers of hidden data.
Truth about Roswell, Area 51 and suchlike wasn't in the 20GB of deleted files.
I'm still holding out hope that "The Knowledge" aka undeniable proof of extraterrestrial intelligence is hiding in the "Insurance" file.
I am convinced there is a big cover-up going on right now, rumour has it that the memristor is a direct descendant of the "transcapacitor" recovered and later reverse engineered from the Roswell debris, and in fact silver compounds can be used as a solid state fast switching variant according to the latest IEEE Spectrum papers.
AC-6EQUJ5
I think it costs about £20,000 a day to attend. I wonder where he got that sort of money from. Given that government heads all attend, I would imagine security clearance would be needed too.
OpenLeaks - acceptable to all heads of government. What more praise is needed?
..die by the sword. Someone deleted the data that waste of oxygen Assange acquired illegally. Boo-Fucking-Hoo.
Maybe BoA did pay this guy a fee to wipe the data, maybe he just felt that he didn't want any more people becoming "collateral damage". Maybe the people who leaked the data don't fancy ending up like that idiot Manning and asked him to delete it themselves. Does it really matter?
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