At #OccupySF

Government spying on journalists makes Wikileaks the best option for whistle-blowers, according to researcher and activist on security and privacy Christopher Soghoian. Yesterday in an Op-Ed for the New York Times, he urged journalists to emulate WikiLeaks’ security model to protect sources and encrypt sensitive information. According to Soghoin, the vast majority of journalists today, no matter how strong their ethics are in keeping their sources secret, are technologically ill-equipped to ensure their conversations aren’t intercepted. They use telephones, text messages and emails, “all of which are easy to intercept.” The problem is growing due to increasing (and increasingly advanced) government surveillance. Acknowledging “illicit monitoring,” he believes “American journalists should assume that their communications are being monitored by their government.” Furthermore, government officials can subpoena journalists and obtain telecommunications records, making encryption all the more important.

While some news organizations have established Wikileaks-like online dropboxes, the article points out that they have “reserved the right to disclose information about the source”. WikiLeaks, by contrast, has “spectacular operational security,” encrypting every conversation, submission, and server. It works, he says, because WikiLeaks itself has never exposed a source, noting that it was “an acquaintance,” Adrian Lamo, who alleged that PFC Bradley Manning was a potential source. Until major news outlets come up with a secure system to prevent surveillance, Soghoian writes, “it will be safer to leak something to WikiLeaks…than to the mainstream press.” Link.

The Obama administration’s crackdown on transparency continues and it has moved beyond
controversial whistle-blowers. On Tuesday the San Fransisco Chronicle published an article
criticizing “a Nixonian quality to the level of control, paranoia – and lack of credibility – this White
House has demonstrated on the issue of media access to President Obama’s fundraisers.” It reports that
Bay Area reporters have been blocked from covering a fundraiser, and it states that the crackdown was
the result of Carla Marinucci, a reporter for the Chronicle, having broken “an unwritten rule against
print reporters shooting video.” Link.

What the SF Chronicle article does not mention, but thankfully a followup article in the Atlantic does,
is that “an SF Chronicle reporter ‘was threatened with being ‘blacklisted’ from future pools because
she had shot video during a pool event, which the White House claimed was an ‘unwritten rule.’ That
video you may recall, showed a group of protesters on behalf of Bradley Manning interrupting an
Obama fundraiser earlier this year. After that incident, the White House started barring local reporters
from pool coverage.” Link.

Scott Olsen, a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War and a supporter of the Bradley Manning Support Network, was seriously injured when police attacked Occupy Oakland protesters with tear gas and other projectiles. One of these ‘projectiles’ hit Scott Olsen in the head, fracturing his skull. Courage to Resist writes,

“Scott Olsen, a Marine veteran who did two tours in Iraq, was hit by a police projectile during last
night’s brutal crackdown of Occupy Oakland. He is in serious but stable condition at an Oakland
hospital. Friends have reported that Scott has a ‘skull fracture and swelling of the brain.’”

They urge people to petition Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, and list a number of ways to do so as well as a fund for people to donate to Scott’s medical expenses. Link.

Time Magazine’s website features a troubling article today discussing collateral damage that has resulted from secret U.S. drone bombing missions in Yemen. Link. Although this article fails to make the connection, many U.S. citizens initially heard of these secrete drone operations after PFC Manning allegedly released the information through WikiLeaks. Link.