The ‘hacktivist’ group has released a tranche of 287 documents in an interactive map of government surveillance practices called the “Spy Files.” The documents, the first batch of “hundreds,” reveal the “mass surveillance industry” many governments sponsor, according to the secretive organization’s website.
WikiLeaks and privacy watchdogs Bugged Planet and Privacy International teamed with a number of media outlets including the Washington Post, the UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and the Hindu, to expose 160 “Western intelligence contractors” who have proliferated since Sept. 11, 2001.
The documents released today are mostly from the period between 2006 and 2011.
A press release for the project decries the lack of regulation in the industry. “Intelligence agencies, military forces and police authorities are able to silently, and on mass [sic], and secretly intercept calls and take over computers without the help or knowledge of the telecommunication providers,” says the release. Moreover, the group raises alarm that mobile technology users can be tracked even if their phone or device is on standby.
WikiLeaks also raises alarm about the companies selling devices to authoritarian regimes and dictators who used the technology to keep a tight grip on power.
“When citizens overthrew the dictatorships in Egypt and Libya this year, they uncovered listening rooms where devices from Gamma corporation of the UK, Amesys of France, VASTech of South Africa and ZTE Corp of China monitored their every move online and on the phone.”
Moreover, say WikiLeaks, even in countries like the United States and United Kingdom, these contractors and businesses show a willingness to provide personal data to governments seeking intelligence.
“Telecommunication companies are forthcoming when it comes to disclosing client information to the authorities - no matter the country,” says the release. “Headlines during August’s unrest in the UK exposed how Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the Blackberry, offered to help the government identify their clients. RIM has been in similar negotiations to share BlackBerry Messenger data with the governments of India, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.”
The organization announced plans to release more documents this week and throughout December. Users can search the database by country, by company,
