Gotta Leak? Do it Wiki Style
Sunday, October 11th, 2009 05:53 pm GMT -4 in News Briefs by Michael Cervieri
Color me interested.
According to Slashdot, Wikileaks has announced a plan to create a leak “uploader” feature that news orgs can embed in their Web sites. The uploader will allow quick and anonymous submission of leaked material that journalists can use exclusively for a window of time–before Wikileaks pulls the information into its publicly available database…
…The upload feature should give anonymous sources a safer, easier way to disclose sensitive information. It will also transfer legal responsibility for the material away from a given journalist and onto Wikileaks itself, a site that has proven very difficult for lawyers to thwart.
The upload system will give potential whistle blowers around the world the ability to leak sensitive documents to an organization or journalist they trust over a secure connection, while giving the receiver legal protection they might not otherwise enjoy.
“We will take the burden of protecting the source and the legal risks associated with publishing the document,” said Julien Assange, an advisory board member at Wikileaks, in an interview at the Hack In The Box security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Once Wikileaks confirms the uploaded material is real, it will be handed over to the Web site that encouraged the submission for a period of time. This embargo period gives the journalist or rights group time to write a news story or report based on the material.