Fox columnist suggests US cyber attack on WikiLeaks

Oct 27, 2010 12:08 AM
Filed under Security

And their ISP.

A former US state department advisor has suggested that a Government-sanctioned "electronic assault" on WikiLeaks and its internet service provider (ISP) could be appropriate in retaliation for the whistleblower website's latest leak of classified material.

In an opinion published by FoxNews.com, Christian Whiton listed five actions the US "could" take in retaliation of the leak of 400,000 classified documents on the Iraq war over the weekend.

Apart from calling for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his staff to be indicted for "espionage" and seeking for their assets to be frozen, Whiton also said that a state-sanctioned IT security attack was a possible course of action.

"Give the new US Cyber-Command a chance to prove its worth by ordering it to electronically assault WikiLeaks and any telecommunications company offering its services to this organisation," Whiton suggested.

He also said the US Government could declare WikiLeaks as an "enemy combatant", opening the possibility for "non-judicial actions".

Another suggestion called for "meaningful congressional hearings to look into how this much classified information could ever be compromised".

It came as an Australian Defence Department taskforce concluded that no major damage had occurred from WikiLeaks' release of Afghanistan war diaries in July.

The Australian taskforce was only just starting to sort through the files from the Iraq release.

Fox columnist suggests US cyber attack on WikiLeaks

9 comments in this discussion

"The comments made about this topic at http://www.washingtontimes.com/n... are interesting and give an insight to the rabid blinkered narrow focus many in the US display. I find it also ..."

By Tom Brown

Tags

defence, taskforce, wikileaks, iraq, afghanistan, war, leak, cyber, attack, us, adviser

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Comments: 9

alexdelarge Oct 27, 2010 9:06 AM	As a rule of thumb, the inverse of Fox News is usually accurate and reasonable. Thus, a Nobel Peace Prize for Julian and the 'Leaks folks seems appropriate.
Res Oct 27, 2010 10:16 AM	Now I know why most of my U.S. associates loath Fox news, with lunatics like this goose Whiton.
realitybites Oct 27, 2010 11:14 AM	I hear the same thing when I speak to my US friends, yet Fox seems to continue to grow and make money. Kinda makes you wonder.
HubertCumberdale Oct 27, 2010 12:05 PM	The title should read: "Fox columnist wants US cyber attack on WikiLeaks"
realitybites Oct 27, 2010 12:31 PM	I believe Gandhi summed it up very accurately with "An eye for eye just leaves the whole world blind"
rycrozier Oct 27, 2010 12:48 PM	Except, in this case, it's a bit more than an "eye for an eye". No suggestion, I would think, that WikiLeaks electronically attacked anybody to get their materials...
realitybites Oct 27, 2010 2:11 PM	Ohh I didn't mean to suggest that WikiLeaks electronically attacked anybody! My reference was akin to "tit for tat", you do this to me and I'll do that to you, sort of thing. Maybe it was a bad choice of words. If it leads to this assumption then I'll withdraw it. The Fox columnist needs to address why/how this information is being sent to Wikileaks in the first place. Any call for an "attack" on WikiLeaks is akin to shooting the messenger in my opinion.
Ace Oct 27, 2010 10:43 PM	It seems mysterious forces have already been at work to discredit Assange.
Tom Brown Oct 28, 2010 12:07 PM	The comments made about this topic at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/25/declare-war-on-wikileaks/ are interesting and give an insight to the rabid blinkered narrow focus many in the US display. I find it also interesting how this former US state department advisor sees the world and that there is no reason to be honest about the effects of and actions during this war. If we are a democracy our decisions are based on knowledge. As our leaders are very apt at hiding the facts how can we make informed opinion about our leaders actions and so whether they are or should be leading us. Though it is difficult to condone Wikileaks actions, where are our reporters, where are their facts, non at all. I support Wikileaks for and because there is always some good when someone sticks their neck out to bring truth. The article also shows just how the media groups are so much in bed with the US administration. And on one hand the say no harm done then say lets kill the bastards, er sorry " non judicial actions".