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SIPA USA/PA Images

Assange accuses CIA of 'devastating incompetence' and warns he has a lot more info to leak

US officials told CNN that a federal criminal investigation was being opened into the leak.

Updated 10.35pm

WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN Assange has accused the CIA of “devastating incompetence” for failing to protect its hacking secrets and said he would work with tech companies to develop fixes for them.

“This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, to have created such an arsenal and then stored it all in one place,” Assange said.

“It is impossible to keep effective control of cyber weapons… If you build them, eventually you will lose them,” Assange said.

Assange was speaking in a press conference streamed live from Ecuador’s embassy in London, where he has been living as a fugitive from justice since 2012.

He said his anti-secrecy website had “a lot more information” about the Central Intelligence Agency’s hacking operation but would hold off on publishing it until WikiLeaks had spoken to tech manufacturers.

“We have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have so fixes can be developed and then pushed out.

“Once this material is effectively disarmed by us we will publish additional details about what has been occurring,” he added.

Commenting on the press conference, Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said Assange “should spend the rest of his life wearing an orange jumpsuit”.

“He’s an enemy of the American people and an ally to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” he said in a statement.

“Do us harm”

The CIA had accused Wikileaks of endangering Americans, helping US rivals and hampering the fight against terror threats by releasing what the anti-secrecy site claimed was a trove of CIA hacking tools.

There are reports in the US that a federal criminal investigation into the leaks is being opened to investigate the documents.

CIA officials also confirmed to the US news group CNN that the documents were genuine, despite the CIA’s public statement refusal to confirm the authenticity of the materials, which said they were leaked from the spy agency’s hacking operations.

Nevertheless, said spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak, “The American public should be deeply troubled by any Wikileaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community’s ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries.”

“Such disclosures not only jeopardize US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm,” she said.

Horniak defended the CIA’s cyber operations, which the Wikileaks materials showed focused heavily on breaking into personal electronics using a wide range of malware systems.

“It is CIA’s job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad,” she said.

Massive leak

On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were part of a huge trove leaked from the CIA, describing it as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials.

“This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA,” it said.

The documents showed that CIA hackers can turn a TV into a listening device, bypass popular encryption apps, and possibly control one’s car.

Most experts believe the materials to be genuine, and US media said yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is opening a criminal probe into the leak.

The source of the materials remained unclear. The investigation could focus on whether the CIA was sloppy in its controls, or, as The Washington Post reported, it could be “a major mole hunt” for a malicious leaker or turncoat inside the agency.

Wikileaks itself said the documents, hacking tools and code came from an archive that had circulated among US government hackers and private contractors.

An investigation would come as the CIA is already enmeshed in a politically-charged probe into Russia’s alleged interference in the US election last year in support of President Donald Trump’s campaign.

WikiLeaks, which has stunned the US government with a series of publications of top-secret political, diplomatic and intelligence materials, said the publication Tuesday was only the first of a series of releases of CIA hacking materials.

That raised concerns that the site could release the actual hacking tools it obtained along with the documents. Experts worry those could fall into the hands of anyone, including US enemies and criminals.

Tech sector scrambles for fixes

The Wikileaks documents detailed the CIA’s practice of exploiting vulnerabilities in hardware and software, without ever informing producers of them.

The CIA allegedly found ways to hack into personal electronics from leading companies like Apple and Samsung, Android phones, popular Microsoft software, and crucial routers from major manufacturers.

The documents suggest it can also infiltrate smartphones in a way that allows it to get around popular messaging encryption apps.

The tech sector was scrambling to understand how their products were at risk.

“While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities,” Apple said in an emailed statement.

“We’re confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities,” Google director of information security and privacy Heather Adkins said in a released statement.

“Our analysis is ongoing and we will implement any further necessary protections.”

Samsung and Microsoft both said they were “looking into” what Wikileaks revealed.

Encryption apps safe

Joseph Hall, a technologist with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organisation, said the documents raise questions about the US government’s pledge last year to disclose vulnerabilities to technology firms.

That pledge means “security flaws should get back to the companies so they can get fixed, and not languish for years,” he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union commented in a tweet: “When the government finds software security holes, it should help fix them, not hoard them and leave everyone vulnerable.”

Companies that make encryption programmes and apps targeted by the CIA said the revelations show the agency has not been able to break their software.

Open Whisper Systems, which developed the technology for the Signal encryption app, said the CIA documents showed that Signal works.

“None of the exploits are in Signal or break Signal Protocol encryption,” the group said in a tweet.

“The existence of these hacking tools is a testimonial to the strength of the encryption,” said Steve Bellovin, a Columbia University computer science researcher, in a blog post.

© AFP 2017

Read: TVs used to spy on people? Tech industry keen to reassure public following Wikileaks hack

Read: Trump targets critic by name on Twitter after Republican backlash to his health plan

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Mar 9th 2017, 7:49 AM

    Funny how “protecting your freedom” always involves some measure of curtailing it.

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    Mute Wally Houlihan
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:14 AM

    Brilliant work by Wikileaks. The imperial terrorists don’t like the taste of their own medicine it seems:

    “The litany of this is a long one, with the OSS (the predecessor of the CIA) forming a strategic alliance with the Sicilian and Corsican mafia after World War II to prevent possible communist uprisings in Europe and to smash left-wing unions; the CIA’s assisting the Kuomintang with its opium trafficking operations to fund their joint anti-communist efforts in Asia; the CIA’s actual trafficking of opium out of Laos, Burma and Thailand to help fund the U.S. counter-insurgency effort in South East Asia; the CIA’s support of “the chief smugglers of Afghan opium, the anti-communist Mujahedin rebels in Afghanistan” in their efforts against the pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan, leading ultimately to Afghanistan becoming one of the largest opium suppliers in the world (a status only briefly interrupted when it was under Taliban control); and the Reagan Administration’s funding the Nicaraguan Contras (after such funding was outlawed by Congress) by, among other things, cocaine smuggling operations.
    The book quotes the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) which concludes that, today, “the biggest heroin and cocaine trading institutions in the world are the militaries of Burma, Pakistan, Mexico, Peru and Colombia – ‘all armed and trained by U.S. military intelligence in the name of anti-drug efforts.’” In the case of Colombia, while the U.S., to justify its massive counterinsurgency program, vilifies the FARC guerillas as “narco-terrorists,” this title is more befitting of the Colombian state and its paramilitary allies.”

    http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/02/16/the-u-s-war-for-drugs-of-terror-in-colombia/

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    Mute Mike Holmes
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:38 AM

    @Wally Houlihan: Read that article Wally thanks. It seems to say the CIA are drug traffickers and that’s how the USA pays for wars that their public won’t support.

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    Mute Ossi Fritsche
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:39 AM

    The fact Assange supports the tyrant Trump.

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    Mute Wally Houlihan
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:46 AM

    That’s it Mike. The C.I.A uses the drug money as a source of clandestine funding for their imperial adventures. The money is by its nature off the books and not part of the Federal accounts so can be plausibly denied by the U.S political warmongers.

    In its official wars such as Iraq, the U.S faces no financial constraint in waging those wars as they are the issuer of a floating currency the dollar. They can never run out of the money they issue and the only limitations they face are in terms of real resources, soldiers, weaponry, fuel, etc etc etc and of course the political limitations of dead and maimed bodies being shipped back home.

    It’s notable how a shortage of money is never a problem when a war needs to be funded but when measures to benefit the majority such as universal healthcare are mooted they are met with horrified cries of “where will the money come from?”

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    Mute Neil Mcdonough
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:26 AM

    @Wally Houlihan: “It’s notable how a shortage of money is never a problem when a war needs to be funded but when measures to benefit the majority such as universal healthcare are mooted they are met with horrified cries of “where will the money come from?” Brilliant! Thanks for that.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:40 AM

    A brilliant point. Apparently the American dream isn’t for everyone, if it was it would be the American standard.

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    Mute Mike Holmes
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    Mar 9th 2017, 12:57 PM

    @Wally Houlihan: Its seems strange our courts are handing Aspbergers Syndrome sufferer Gary Davis over to a country like this. In 2012 Teresa May blocked the extradition of Gary MacKinnon on the grounds he also had the same condition. Even Bob Geldof and Pink Floyd hosted concerts for the guy. Where are they for the Irish Gary? Every state psychiatrist from Michael Fitzgerald ,to Simon Barron Corn have all confirmed that Gary Davis has a severe form of this mental illness since childhood. Have we not read enough this past week about handing our most vulnerable and impressionable citizens over to corrupt authorities. Block the Gary Davis extradition today. He is accused of of serious crimes none of which involve violence and pale in comparison to Gary McKinnon. Time we started looking after our own!

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    Mute Mike Holmes
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    Mar 9th 2017, 1:02 PM

    @Mike Holmes: The CIA probably feel Silk Road is infringing on their business.. Why was section 6 of the Human Rights Act nota valid defence as it was in the UK for MacKinnon? Free the Wicklow 1

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    Mute The Crant
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    Mar 9th 2017, 4:55 PM

    @Ossi Fritsche: So if all this wire tapping is going on, why is Trump wrong to accuse Obama? It seems everyone was tapping everyone. The dogs on the street know that and the internet too.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:56 PM

    @Matt Connolly: And the CIA using all this spying to give lobbyist billionaires insider info on their competition from outside the U.S.

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    Mute The Crant
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    Mar 12th 2017, 9:20 AM

    @Ossi Fritsche: Trump is not a tyrant, he is tough buts thats a good trait

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 7:54 AM

    CIA says Wikileaks’ hacking leak ‘could damage terrorist protections’ meanwhile Cia don’t mind damaging the public’s privacy. Apparently only 1% has been released so far…..

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:31 AM

    Spying has always been used as a tool to help win wars and to both perpetrate and anticipate terrorist activities. The authorities get commended for preventing such activities but when details of how they gather information gets out people get all uptight about privacy.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:52 AM

    @Nick Allen: I think average families and people sitting watching television have a right to their privacy. Don’t you? Or do you think having the CIA being able to listen and monitor you or your children in their front room is ok… Think people have a right to get uppity about their privacy when it’s not you watching television but your television watching you… Do you know everyone that works in the CIA? I don’t .. how can you not be concerned that the CIA may have people with perverse ideals working for them and they have the capacity through televisions and game consoles etc to be watching your children… Your ok with that . Good for you.

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    Mute Eye_c_u
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:04 AM

    Don’t think they spy on the average family. Funny wiki leaks never seem to target Russia. Why is that?

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:11 AM

    @Eye_c_u: take it you never actually read wikileaks. Because they have published stuff throughout the years. You should have a look…Many different countries…. They have the capacity to spy on the average family if they want but hey if your OK with that. Good for you.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:17 AM

    @LITTLEONE:
    “how can you not be concerned that the CIA may have people with perverse ideals working for them and they have the capacity through televisions and game consoles etc to be watching your children”

    Any person in a position of trust who has ‘perverse ideals’ has the ability to abuse the situation regardless whether they are in the CIA or not.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:24 AM

    @Nick Allen: do they all have the capacity to watch, listen and monitor you or your children by the television????????

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:28 AM

    Don’t think Nick. All people in position of power who have perverse ideals are able to have the television watch you instead of you watching television but thanks to the CIA .. now they can since they lost the tools .

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    Mute brian boru
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:52 AM

    If the cia has the ability to listen and watch it won’t be long before the code is out there in the public domain. If wiki can get their hands on this then any hacker can get his hands on the tech that allows it.

    Every camera on a mobile or digital device should come with a manual cover on it.

    Imagine a paedophile ring getting access to this ! every phone tv or laptop a recording device.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:07 AM

    @brian boru:

    “Every camera on a mobile or digital device should come with a manual cover on it.”

    Completely agree, I used to have a Compaq laptop about 10 years ago and it had a manual shutter, I now use a little bit of a post it not to cover mine.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:09 AM

    @LITTLEONE:

    If u have a device with a camera on it and if you connect the device to the internet then you are at risk of somebody hacking into it. This doesn’t require the CIA.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:09 AM

    @brian boru: from what i understand it’s possible already out there as the CIA lost control of the tools. I think wikileaks are not actually publishing the tools or code for obvious reasons

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:13 AM

    @Nick Allen: i am aware of that.. as are everyone.. hackers everywhere.. you seem to be glossing over the fact that it’s old different ball game when they have brought it into our homes by using televisions. Step too far… Especially when you have no idea it was being done… Phones, tablets, laptops only a fool would not have been aware of hackers but to think you can’t even watch television without your television unknowingly watching you is bit much….

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    Mute brian boru
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:16 AM

    If that’s the case little one hopefully we will hear from the data protection commissioner soon to explain what’s steps they are taking to ensure our privacy in Ireland is protected.

    If the tech is widely distributed we could have paedophile rings actively using it to capture video and images of Irish families.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:21 AM

    @brian boru: to think this is only the first 1% of the wikileaks. What’s coming next…

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    Mute Linda
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:22 AM

    @Nicky – I wonder how someone like Sgt McCabe might feel about something like this? What happens when it’s not just one person with perverse ideals or they’re not using it to fight wars. What happens when a normal citizen decides to speak out about g’ment agencies?

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    Mute Ibhar Mac Suibhne
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:49 AM

    The leaked docs show clearly that in order to hack a TV , it involves a high risk operation to break into ones house when you and family are not at home, and inject malware into your TV via USB stick … It not a mass spying tool, only for targeted operations against suspected criminals / freedom fighters

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    Mute brian boru
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    Mar 9th 2017, 12:13 PM

    If the code can be transferred via USB it can be transferred via internet download / cookies.

    Wishful thinking to say it requires a high risk operation I am afraid.

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    Mute worldpeace
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    Mar 9th 2017, 1:24 PM

    @nick. That’s what I don’t understand. How can they protect us without having our privacy suffer? People expect a government to stop things before it happens yet complains and panics if they find out about spying. It’s not like this extremist sends regular mail or meet in one corner. It’s all cyber and phone call away. Everything is instantaneous. Can anyone suggest a better alternative?

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    Mute Ibhar Mac Suibhne
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    Mar 9th 2017, 1:59 PM

    Brian , the documents clearly show that you must be specifically targeted by the CIA, which means you potential are a high value target to have your TV hacked , yes if it can be on a USB , it can be sent via the internet , but then your modem needs to be hacked , you must be fooled into opening an attachment , then that malware needs to somehow make its way to your TV , Not as easy as it sounds to get your TV hacked .
    It’s not a blanket surveillance tool.

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    Mute Gazza Lazza
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    Mar 9th 2017, 5:03 PM

    @Nick Allen:

    Hey Nick what are your passwords for your email, facebook, twitter or whatever information you have online?
    I mean if you think people shouldn’t get “uptight about privacy” then you’ll have no problem sharing your passwords with us so we can all have a peek and a gander. How’s about it then? Or would you consider that information private and and tell me it’s actually none of me f@#king business?

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    Mute Gazza Lazza
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    Mar 9th 2017, 5:24 PM

    @worldpeace:

    There are alternatives. One way would be to get back to good old fashioned police work. Identify your suspect, do your investigation, do your surveillance on said suspect and if they are guilty of something respond accordingly, with the help of the technology that is available.

    Mass surveillance does not work. Most of the atrocities carried out in the last number of years, Boston Marathon bombings, Charlie Hebdow attacks and so on, the suspects where all known to the FBI, CIA and NSA beforehand, yet…. they still managed to carry out their atrocities.

    https://theintercept.com/2015/11/17/u-s-mass-surveillance-has-no-record-of-thwarting-large-terror-attacks-regardless-of-snowden-leaks/

    Just one of many articles outlining what I said above. It’s not just news articles or opinion pieces that point this out there are also official documents from very high levels within these institutions that also say the same thing, if you are willing to look. maybe I’ll post links for all the sceptics out there or better yet, go look for yourselves

    “If you are watching everybody, you see no one”

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    Mute Scorpionvenomm
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:19 PM

    You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about !

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    Mute Leo Massey
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    Mar 9th 2017, 7:48 AM

    Do as I say, not as I do.

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    Mute Pheilum Shannon
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    Mar 9th 2017, 12:12 PM

    @Leo Massey: Very true. They are opening a criminal investigation into something that highlighted their criminality. How ironic!

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    Mute Shayne O'Odonoghue
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:22 AM

    One of the interesting and relevant leaked documents outlines that they leave a digital false trail that would be identified as a Russian, Chinese or Iranian hacker.. So can you believe anything anymore when they say they have proof of a hack. You will have to use your own judgement on whether the accused had more motive than possible political motivation, ie Red Flags to turn public opinion.

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    Mute Abby Wynne
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:15 AM

    Where do I donate to Wikileaks? They’re doing a brilliant job.

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    Mute Ananya Sharma
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:49 AM

    @Abby Wynne: wikileaks.org

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    Mute Johnnathan Biskalero
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:54 AM

    Russia this , Russia that…..all the while these guys have been listening to everyone’s private business…..as JFK said scatter the CIA into a thousand winds….we all know what happened next !!

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    Mute Mrs M
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:45 AM

    CIA & NSA have damaged their own reputations , since when is it ok to spy on everyone ? Or use or devices against us ?

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    Mute SomeRandomIrishGuy
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    Mar 9th 2017, 3:25 PM

    They are the CIA it’s what they do

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    Mute Martin Ryan
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    Mar 9th 2017, 7:53 AM

    if someone could hack into all this sensitive information the American people weren’t that safe anyway.

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:30 AM

    It wasn’t a hack, it was an insider leak.

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    Mute Mike Holmes
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:41 AM

    Why are we not breaking off diplomatic relations with the US?

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    Mute Johnnathan Biskalero
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:52 AM

    @Mike Holmes: because we are a little lap dog !! that’s why !!

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    Mute Carl Nolan
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    Mar 9th 2017, 12:09 PM

    @Mike Holmes: Because, despite the soundbites you may hear from opposition politicians and the day-to-day opinions of ordinary people, the USA is on the same side as us.

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    Mute worldpeace
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    Mar 9th 2017, 1:46 PM

    @mike. Because at the end of the day if something happen to any country, like it or not they all go back to this horrible Americans for help. Wait until this Donald says you guys are on your own.

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    Mute Alan Chapman
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    Mar 9th 2017, 7:53 AM

    Ah jaysis , please , these headlines !

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    Mute Zx5vZulB
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:27 AM

    Apple are hilarious, along with the other manufacturers. They genuinely think the public don’t know that the cia have high level access to design of product “bugs”.

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    Mute Early Cuyler
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:55 AM

    Buzzfeed announced that Apple has magically patched it, until wikileaks contradicted them. Remember – projects artichoke, mockingbird, etc. They hijacked the media decades ago and it’s mostly been self published. Anderson Cooper for instance – nobody gets a summer internship at the CIA! You’re in at that point.

    Dissolving the cocaine importing agency is a service to the whole world should it happen.

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Mar 10th 2017, 5:17 AM

    Reading this interesting article answers the question comprehensively on where current explosive market demand might be coming from for the safe and dependable, cheap and cheerful Nokia 3310.

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    Mute Thomas Smith
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:53 AM

    And of course American foreign policy will have nothing to do with what’s happening at all at all.

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    Mute OnTheOutside
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:56 AM

    Like something straight out of ‘Mr Robot’…

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    Mute jane
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:47 AM

    I was thinking Person of Interest

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    Mute OnTheOutside
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:08 AM

    @jane: Maybe a mix of both…

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    Mute Damian Faulkner
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:12 AM

    It’s like some CIA lad in his office watching Gogglebox all day, sure it’s mad Ted I tell ya.

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    Mute Johnnathan Biskalero
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:02 PM

    Russia russia….lol…..CIA have been behind the lot…out of control. Jfk said they should be scattered to a thousand winds…..but unfortunately he was gunned down not long after….Lee Harvey done it says the CIA…..may god forgive them

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:09 PM

    But aren’t the CIA not the terrorists now?

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    Mute Stephen
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:36 AM

    I can’t imaging many jihadi terrorists sitting around a smart tv with a built in camera plotting murder

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    Mute Keiko
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:31 PM

    Hallelujah for Wikileaks.

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    Mute Tom Sheridan
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    Mar 10th 2017, 1:51 AM

    Article says “…he has been living as a fugitive from justice since 2012″ – shouldn’t it be “…he has been living as a fugitive from American so-called ‘justice; since 2012″

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    Mute Brendan Moriarty
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    Mar 10th 2017, 12:02 AM

    Thanks for adding “(Russian President)” before Vladimir Putin, wouldn’t have known which Vladimir Putin you meant

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    Mute Johnnathan Biskalero
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:07 PM

    CIA= mass murder ,drug trafficing, child abduction and murder……all to protect America they say….may god forgive them

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    Mute Anto Curran
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:26 AM

    What prevents Wikileaks from releasing false information to further their own agenda? Who do they answer to? Genuine question as it seems that they get carte blanche to release what they choose and when and are automatically believed as a trusted source.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:35 AM

    Anto

    I think it is just down to credibility. If they released docs which were total fabrication it would probably be easily proven. If they are proven to be making stuff up then people would ignore future publications

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:02 AM

    @Anto Curran: Because it’s not their information.. they are only the publisher.. the information is verified. Always is.. never released anything false. Loads on different countries, different people for years but of course people don’t actually see that . They rather go with the nonsense Russia narrative.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:47 AM

    Anto, wikileaks have never released anything false. The closest they’ve come is when they’re releases are read and interpreted badly.

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    Mute jane
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:51 AM

    But Dave could they be accused of being selective in what they release. I find it hard to believe the Americans are the only ones at this sort of thing.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:02 AM

    Jane, I don’t think they have other info. If you look through the stuff they have released, there’s the sensational and the mundane, there’s not a lot take out. They do have an agenda though and that is always worth keeping in mind.

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    Mute jane
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:09 AM

    Dave they seem very concentrated on America, seems very much agenda driven.

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:44 AM

    @jane: Wikileaks publish mainly leaks rather than products of hacks. That’s where they get their name from. The more that agencies in countries get on the wrong side of people the more leaks will come out. Wikileaks work on the basis that if the material is verified they will publish it no matter what country it is. They have published leaks from many countries but the most important ones for the English speaking world and it’s media are those from the US and that’s all people hear about. If these leaks were from Botswana or so were would be hearing about them in the journal etc.

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    Mute Johnnathan Biskalero
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:03 PM

    @Anto Curran: and what is thier agenda in your opinion ?

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    Mute Trevor Beacom
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:35 AM

    How come theres nobwikileaks about trump?

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    Mute Mike Holmes
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    Mar 9th 2017, 8:42 AM

    @Trevor Beacom: Its all there on Twitter.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Mar 9th 2017, 9:08 AM

    @Trevor Beacom: wikileaks asked during the campaign for anyone that information that could be verified about trump to send it in..They would publish it.

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says his group’s intel on Donald Trump pales in comparison to the billionaire’s own rhetoric.
    the group doesn’t have anything on Trump that is more controversial than the GOP presidential nominee’s own public comments.

    “We do have some information about the Republican campaign,” he said Friday, according to The Washington Post.
    “I mean, it’s from a point of view of an investigative journalist organization like WikiLeaks, the problem with the Trump campaign is it’s actually hard for us to publish much more controversial material than what comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth every second day,” Assange said.
    .Assange also said earlier this month WikiLeaks is eager for information it can publicly release about Trump.

    “If anyone has any information that is from inside the Trump campaign, which is authentic, it’s not like some claimed witness statement but actually internal documentation, we’d be very happy to receive and publish it,” he said in an Aug. 17 interview aired on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
    https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/293453-assange-wikileaks-trump-info-no-worse-than-him&ved=0ahUKEwjijfnbiMnSAhWMKsAKHb2kABoQFghaMAg&usg=AFQjCNGwqC94qL-fQ3Uvr1A6FFr2u5pREQ&sig2=3kDjvr7agesYOhgC7KJE1Q

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 9th 2017, 10:22 PM

    @Trevor Beacom: Search and seek…

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    Mute Niall O Neill
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    Mar 10th 2017, 10:05 AM

    I’m still waiting for Wikileaks to release Trump’s tax returns.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Mar 10th 2017, 12:42 PM

    So don’t play with yourself in front of the TV…
    Mr President lol.

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    Mute Johnnathan Biskalero
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:09 PM

    CIA can go and SUCK IT….and all thier little evil helpers….SUCK IT !!!!

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    Mute The Crant
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    Mar 12th 2017, 9:25 AM

    Anyone who would believe their phones or internet are private is deluded. My e mail was hacked and my mobile tapped and I am only a coal man. Some of the old mainframe computers which processed pay etc, were safe. The Garda PULSE system server is shared with several other users.

    It is destroying the age old spy system, because a spy cannot be sure of cover. Eventually it will hit the banking system and then there will be fun.

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