» Soooooooo … The charges include the vague “aiding the enemy” as well as a number of computer-based and security-based theft thingy thangs. Some of the files, according to the charges were worth more than $1,000, according to the government. (Were they also bigger than a breadbox?) Do we really need to say anything here? Do the charges speak for themselves?
Colbert on the Failed Attempt to Take Down Anonymous
While talking to Glenn Greenwald about Anonymous and the HB Gary debacle on last night’s Colbert Report, Stephen very briefly had a Guy Fawkes mask super-imposed over his face.
Skip to 3:23 to see for yourself. And click through to watch the preceding segment.
Love the fact that Colbert is covering this.
» In case you were wondering, like us: Assange’s people brought up this witness, Brita Sundberg-Weitman, who had some harsh words about Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny. Those words apparently weren’t enough to sway the judge, who noted that she had no direct knowledge of the case – just commentary on Ny as a person.
Julian assange asserts his human dominance: So says German author Daniel Domscheit-Berg, writing in his new book about his experiences with WikiLeaks and Assange. Domscheit-Berg claims that while Assange stayed with him in 2009, the silver-haired Australian began to abuse and battle his tomcat, which is adorably named Herr Schmidt. “Julian would constantly attack the animal. He would spread out his fingers like a fork and grab the cat’s throat,” the upcoming book says. Assange does have a built-in excuse for this abusive behavior, though, if he can only prove that this cat was a bastard. source
Well, that’s one way to win your extradition trial, Julian Assange. In what might be one of the more unlikely legal tactics out there, the WIkileaks founder’s defense team flew in former Swedish appellate court judge Brita Sundberg-Weitman to rip on the prosecutor in the case against Assange. Why? Because Sundberg-Weitman is willing to say in a court of law that prosecutor Marianne Ny has a ”rather biased view against men.” Oh, and there’s more: “She seems to take it for granted that everybody under prosecution is guilty. I think she is so preoccupied with the situation of battered women and raped women that she has lost balance.” Damn. How about them apples? source
Julian Assange’s extradition trial starts back up in the UK: The defense in the extradition trial suggested that there was real risk Assange could be sent to Guantanamo Bay. The prosecution pooh-poohed that. source
The British government is under pressure to take up the case of Bradley Manning, the soldier being held in a maximum security military prison in Virginia on suspicion of having passed a massive trove of US state secrets to Wikileaks, on the grounds that he is a UK citizen.
Amnesty International tonight called on the government to intervene on Manning’s behalf and demand that the conditions of his detention, which the organisation calls “harsh and punitive”, are in line with international standards. [read more]
It’s fascinating how something which many might consider a technicality makes Bradley Manning a British citizen, even though he was born in the U.S.
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So, to clarify: “Bottlenecks” does not appear to specifically be a euphemism for “Julian Assange.” There appears to have been some sincere thought on how to cleanly decentralize the system. We wish Openleaks the best of luck in their mission. source
Corruption? Unemployment? A restricted press? Not according to Colonel Qaddafi. The Libyan leader, who has held power for over forty years, weighed in on Tunisia’s collapse, blaming “WikiLeaks which publishes information written by lying ambassadors in order to create chaos.” As The New York Times’ Robert Mackey observes, this may be a reiteration of a conspiratorial belief birthed from Iran’s leadership; that Wikileaks is acting as a propaganda arm of the United States, strategically leaking false cables to American benefit. But seriously, Julian Assange as a government shill? You’ve got a long road to hoe, Muammar.
You’d think, seeing that the guy on the right (former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer) probably risked his hide to give Julian Assange detail on prominent individuals who used Swiss banks to evade taxes, Assange would muster up enough happiness to show a smile. But no. He still looks like an Eeyore-ish version of James Bond. Turn that frown upside down, Julian! source
Iran doesn’t have the bomb yet. But they’ve been trying really hard to get it, according to the latest round of data released from Wikileaks. The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, which reportedly has all 250,000 diplomatic cables, has been releasing them slowly but surely, and the latest one is kinda sorta a big deal. The cables portray it as kind of last-gasp attempt for Iran to jump-start its diplomatic prowess. ”A race exists between the bomb and financial collapse,” one French nuclear expert explained in the cable. Some quick numbers:
» Oh, and remember Stuxnet? That computer worm seemingly designed to damage Iran’s nuclear program was reportedly a American-Israeli joint, according to this here article by The New York Times. It was reportedly so effective at causing a malware ruckus that it set Iran’s nuclear program back by several years. Favorite line: “The computer program also secretly recorded what normal operations at the nuclear plant looked like, then played those readings back to plant operators, like a pre-recorded security tape in a bank heist, so that it would appear that everything was operating normally while the centrifuges were actually tearing themselves apart.” Class.
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