WikiLeaks CableGate Update: December 8
Check this page often for the latest news and views on the WikiLeaks saga, as well as our special report.
DECEMBER 8, Day 11
[Guardian] Cables about China's role in Africa provide an unvarnished example of U.S. thinking the region.
A U.S. official in Africa wrote, "The United States does not consider China a military, security or intelligence threat. China is a very aggressive and pernicious economic competitor with no morals. China is not in Africa for altruistic reasons. China is in Africa for China primarily."
Technology pioneer Dave Winer applies his perspective to the escalating WikiLeaks war
"WikiLeaks is the perfect storm for all past issues on the net, but I'm afraid it also will draw us into a future that I've believed was coming and didn't want to talk about. We don't like to think about how much our civilization depends on the proper running of computer networks, and how vulnerable they are. Whoever it is that attacking Mastercard and Paypal are anonymous. They could be teenagers (that's what we hope) but they could also be professionals working for foreign governments, or even the US government."
[Reuters] Guantanamo files may star in next WikiLeaks release
"WikiLeaks' next assault on Washington may highlight U.S. government reports on suspected militants held at Guantanamo Bay, which some U.S. officials worry could show certain detainees were freed despite intelligence assessments they were still dangerous.Skip related content
"The leaks could be an embarrassment to President Barack Obama's administration, already angered over WikiLeaks document dumps of U.S. State Department cables..."
Mathew Ingram of GigaOm captures the developing cyberwar in his post, "WikiLeaks Gets Its Own 'Axis of Evil'"
"Defense Network If the WikiLeaks saga was a comic book, it would be starting to look a lot like the Justice League of America vs. the League of Supervillians -- or maybe it's more like Star Wars, with the plucky rebel alliance up against the might of the Empire."
Twitter Suspends Account Organizing Support for WikiLeaks
The Twitter account of the hacker group Anonymous' 'Operation Payback' appears to have been blocked. The pro-WikiLeaks group has been linked to payback takedowns against companies that have suspended access to fund-raising for WikiLeaks--including MasterCard and Visa.
[El Pais] Cables indicate French President Sarkozy wanted the release from captivity of Ingrid Betancourt at any price
The release of Ingrid Betancourt so obsessed French President Nicolas Sarkozy , who was willing to get payment of ransom. Sarkozy arranged the intervention of then U.S. president George Bush before the Colombian Government, and expressed together with Manuel Marulanda, Sureshot, head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). He suggested exchanging the French-Colombian hostage by another of the guerrilla "Simon Trinidad", imprisoned in the U.S.
Sarah Palin: WikiLeaks Supporters Hacked Me
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday that her personal credit card information and the website of her political action committee were attacked online by supporters of the document-dumping website WikiLeaks.
[New York Times] Officials Pressed Germans on Kidnapping by C.I.A.
American officials exerted sustained pressure on Germany not to enforce arrest warrants against Central Intelligence Agency officers involved in the 2003 kidnapping of a German citizen mistakenly believed to be a terrorist, diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks show.
WikiLeaks: Shell Oil Infiltrated Nigerian Gov't
Anglo-Dutch Oil Giant Could Access Movements of Oil-Rich Nation's Politicians, Secret State Department Cables Show
[SearchEngineLand] Why Wikileaks Will Never Be Closed Or Blocked
Danny Sullivan explains why no one is going to shove the diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks back into the darkness.
Pew Survey: Public Views WikiLeaks Document Release as Harmful
About 60 Percent of Americans Paying Attention to the News Believe WikiLeaks Release of Cables Harms Public Interest, According to a Pew Research Study
Visa Disrupted in WikiLeaks Blowback
Visa Website Targeted in Payback Hacks in WikiLeaks Affair
WikiLeaks: Contractors Hired Afghan Dancing Boys
Afghan Gov't Pleaded with Embassy to Assume Authority over Police Training Camps Run by American Private Security Contractors
Legal Analysis: What's Next for Julian Assange?
Charging the Wikileaks Founder with a Crime for Releasing U.S. State Department Cables Could be Challenging
Can the U.S. Actually Prosecute WikiLeaks?
A New Report from the Congressional Research Service Sheds Light on the Few Laws Applicable to CableGate
Partying Saudi Style: Elite, Boozy and Secret
WikiLeaks Releases Insider Account of Jiddah's Upscale Party Scene, Which Goes Against the Middle East's Conservative Values
See also the latest reports from the Guardian, New York Times, The Nation
More on WikiLeaks from CBSNews.com
WikiLeaks Hacker Friends Claim MasterCard Attack
Cyberwar over WikiLeaks a Sign of the Future?
PayPal Takes Punches from Pro-WikiLeaks Hackers
WikiLeaks: Lockerbie Bomber Freed after Threats
WikiLeaks Winning the Info War So Far
Julian Assange Arrested in UK, Denied Bail
WikiLeaks: U.S. Can't Stop Middle East Arms Race
Swiss Cut Off WikiLeaks' Bank Account
WikiLeaks' Swedish Servers May Be Under Attack