P.I.D. Radio 12/6/10: Smells Like an Op
THE WIKILEAKS story continues to build, even though the more we poke at its roots, the more it looks like something other than a real security breach. Consider: the man who ratted out Pfc. Bradley Manning, Adrian Lamo, is a gray hat hacker who turned Manning in after spending nine involuntary days in California's mental health system for Asperger's Syndrome.
Now, we're not disparaging anyone who genuinely suffers from the condition, only pointing out that a loose definition of Asperger's can be applied to almost anyone who was ever described as a geek. (And if that's grounds for institutionalizing someone, then we're a phone call away from being locked up.)
Consider also that WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange is accused of a sex crime in Sweden (not rape, as has been reported, but for something called "sex by surprise" — i.e., a malfunctioning condom) by a woman who apparently worked with a CIA-linked group in Cuba. And note that Lamo admittedly works for a semi-secret government contractor called Project Vigilant.
All in all, this looks like a controlled leak or an intelligence turf war. The question, as always: who benefits?