SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Assange: WikiLeaks Will Give Tech Firms Leaked Docs to Fight CIA 'Cyberweapons'
Companies will get 'some exclusive access...so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure'
Mar 09, 2017
WikiLeaks will give technology companies exclusive access to alleged CIA documents to help them repair security flaws that allowed the government to spy on individuals through their smart devices, the organization's founder Julian Assange said Thursday.
"Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said in a Facebook live address from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has lived in exile since 2012.
WikiLeaks on Tuesday released a trove of documents purporting to show that the CIA exploited security flaws in mobile phones, smart TVs, and other devices that allowed the intelligence agency to listen in on users in their own homes. But the documents did not disclose what those flaws actually were--instead showing user guides, developer manuals, and other communications.
The group said it held back publishing that information to "[avoid] the distribution of 'armed' cyberweapons" until there was a "consensus" on how to dismantle them.
Once they have been disarmed, WikiLeaks would post the code publicly, Assange said.
CIA spokesman Dean Boyd responded to Assange's comments by stating that he was "not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity."
WikiLeaks fired back, "but he literally won the award for just that," referring to the 2010 honor Assange received from the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence, an organization founded by retired CIA officers that recognizes intelligence whistleblowers.
During the press conference, Assange again reiterated the group's claim that the documents show the CIA has lost its grip on its vast surveillance enterprise.
"The Central Intelligence Agency lost control of its entire cyberweapons arsenal," Assange said. "This is an historic act of devastating incompetence to have created such an arsenal and stored it all in one place and not secured it."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
WikiLeaks will give technology companies exclusive access to alleged CIA documents to help them repair security flaws that allowed the government to spy on individuals through their smart devices, the organization's founder Julian Assange said Thursday.
"Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said in a Facebook live address from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has lived in exile since 2012.
WikiLeaks on Tuesday released a trove of documents purporting to show that the CIA exploited security flaws in mobile phones, smart TVs, and other devices that allowed the intelligence agency to listen in on users in their own homes. But the documents did not disclose what those flaws actually were--instead showing user guides, developer manuals, and other communications.
The group said it held back publishing that information to "[avoid] the distribution of 'armed' cyberweapons" until there was a "consensus" on how to dismantle them.
Once they have been disarmed, WikiLeaks would post the code publicly, Assange said.
CIA spokesman Dean Boyd responded to Assange's comments by stating that he was "not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity."
WikiLeaks fired back, "but he literally won the award for just that," referring to the 2010 honor Assange received from the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence, an organization founded by retired CIA officers that recognizes intelligence whistleblowers.
During the press conference, Assange again reiterated the group's claim that the documents show the CIA has lost its grip on its vast surveillance enterprise.
"The Central Intelligence Agency lost control of its entire cyberweapons arsenal," Assange said. "This is an historic act of devastating incompetence to have created such an arsenal and stored it all in one place and not secured it."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
WikiLeaks will give technology companies exclusive access to alleged CIA documents to help them repair security flaws that allowed the government to spy on individuals through their smart devices, the organization's founder Julian Assange said Thursday.
"Considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing these calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details that we have so that the fixes can be developed and pushed out, so people can be secure," Assange said in a Facebook live address from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has lived in exile since 2012.
WikiLeaks on Tuesday released a trove of documents purporting to show that the CIA exploited security flaws in mobile phones, smart TVs, and other devices that allowed the intelligence agency to listen in on users in their own homes. But the documents did not disclose what those flaws actually were--instead showing user guides, developer manuals, and other communications.
The group said it held back publishing that information to "[avoid] the distribution of 'armed' cyberweapons" until there was a "consensus" on how to dismantle them.
Once they have been disarmed, WikiLeaks would post the code publicly, Assange said.
CIA spokesman Dean Boyd responded to Assange's comments by stating that he was "not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity."
WikiLeaks fired back, "but he literally won the award for just that," referring to the 2010 honor Assange received from the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence, an organization founded by retired CIA officers that recognizes intelligence whistleblowers.
During the press conference, Assange again reiterated the group's claim that the documents show the CIA has lost its grip on its vast surveillance enterprise.
"The Central Intelligence Agency lost control of its entire cyberweapons arsenal," Assange said. "This is an historic act of devastating incompetence to have created such an arsenal and stored it all in one place and not secured it."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy