

Ask HN: What non-financial ways can I/we help Wikileaks? - fooandbarify

We've all been watching Wikileaks take a beating from the powers that be, and even though I <i>might</i> take issue with the way in which they handle some of their information I think their cause is important and I find it deplorable that the big guns (Amazon, Paypal, EveryDNS, etc.) would try to essentially kick someone off the internet rather than at least allowing free speech to take place.<p>I don't have a lot of money right now (bootstrapping a startup while my last one sits in the clutches of an evil marketing megalomaniac), so donating to Wikileaks is not really an option. I do have a fair amount of technical expertise (as compared to the general public, at least - maybe not compared to the community here or the staff at WL). What can I do to help them, and does anyone else want to get on board?
======
kilian
You can support the release of information, and wikileaks, by seeding their
torrents: <http://thepiratebay.org/search/wikileaks/0/99/0>

Or you can be a public backup; mirror the wikileaks site like the dutch
"schock blog" Geenstijl did:
[http://mirror.geenstijl.nl/20101203-wikileaks/213.251.145.96...](http://mirror.geenstijl.nl/20101203-wikileaks/213.251.145.96/index.html)

~~~
rue
How much space does the mirror take?

 _Edit: not much, <15MiB. Got some torrents seeded now, thanks for pointer._

~~~
kilian
For those interested, this is a torrent for a mirror of today's website:
[http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/6009610/Wikileaks_Offline_Mi...](http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/6009610/Wikileaks_Offline_Mirror_-
_By_Palatinux)

------
dammit
Wikileaks activists and whistleblowers rely on Tor. Assange has publicly
stated that by running a Tor relay you can help the backbone infrastructure.
Wikileaks would not exist without Tor.

<http://www.torproject.org/>

<http://www.torservers.net/>

If you are a coder, donate your time and help with development (irc.oftc.net,
#tor)

~~~
jacquesm
The hard part about running a Tor node for me has always been that you're
helping the bad guys just as much or even more as you're helping the good
guys, make sure that you know what you are getting in to before running a Tor
node.

~~~
dammit
If you ask Tor exit node operators, they all share the same experience: Abuse
is very low in comparison to the traffic they're pushing as a whole.

And yes, technology can be misused. So can a hammer. Tor protects everyone.
Who is to judge about what is "bad" and what is "good"? US Government? Google?

There's an estimated number of at least 10,000 bridge users EVERY DAY. I don't
think any criminal would go through the pain of using bridges, so that must be
people behind firewalls in totalitarian countries.

Also, if you're up to something not good, it's always easy. As a criminal you
can buy bot nets, pay servers with stolen credit cards, etc.

~~~
tptacek
Pretty straightforward to make the good/bad judgement about child pornography.
(I like Tor; unlike WL, my Tor reservations are entirely technical).

~~~
MoreMoschops
Except that countries differ in their legal definition of what a child is.

------
jdp23
Great question -- and great suggestions elsewhere in the thread.

One very useful thing to do is boycott Amazon over this, and ask your friends
and family to do so as well. It's easy enough:

\- buy books and DVDs elsewhere this holiday season \- ask any friends and
family not to buy via Amazon \- post about it on your Facebook (and your blog
if you have one)

Amazon made a business decision not to stand up for free speech. If they take
a beating as a result, other companies will think twice before doing the same.

~~~
fooandbarify
Good call. I am not usually into the sort of activism that involves boycotts
because I find them counter-productive, but I'd rather support my local
bookstores anyways so I might as well be vocal about it.

~~~
jdp23
it's a great point ... one of the great things about this is the chance to do
something positive with the money. so maybe a "boycott" isn't the right way to
pitch it. other suggestions welcome.

------
pconf
Amazon, Paypal, EveryDNS, and now Wells Fargo. Tried to make a credit card
donation this morning after hearing about the mafia-style business tactics and
Wells put a block on my card! I called and had the block lifted, then asked to
file a complaint, but the manager said I could not follow-up nor would they
issue a complaint number! You might not be surprised by something like this in
Russia, but I live in the US!

------
lsb
Their main goal is in disseminating information. The front page is just the
wrapping paper. If you want to further their goals, seed their torrents.

~~~
fooandbarify
As I noted in a different reply - I agree with you, but I think the wrapping
paper is very important for a large segment of their audience. Believe it or
not, I know many people who grew up with computers and yet don't know what a
torrent is or how to use them. Beyond seeding torrents, I would like to make
sure that people know how to find the information.

------
sl_
The problem at the moment is that wikileaks can't handle the growth both in
terms of submitted documents and volunteers lining up to help.

Daniel Domscheit-Berg said in a german interview a few months ago that they
have a full inbox for programmers willing to extend the plattform, but they
don't have any resources to review the applications nor the "middle
management" to coordinate them.

Also Assange has put no effort into changing this in favour of releasing these
"big" scoops. So: at the moment there probably isn't much you can do in terms
of direct involvement.

------
mmcmmc
Also consider those who won't be savvy enough to look to torrents but still
need the info. Mirror the sites and distribute the links across social
networks. Consider sharing with the UK, FR, ES, DE & US journalists who had a
preview of the cables prior to going public. They may be able to disseminate
to interested general public more efficiently.

------
kgroll
Regardless of your favored method of distribution, make sure you consider the
consequences of sharing classified documents.

Those consequences are probably negligible for the overwhelming majority here,
but for anybody anticipating getting a US security clearance within the next
seven years, you're likely shooting yourself in the foot. You'll either have
to reveal the fact that you've disclosed classified material, or else lie
under oath. Neither of those being ideal if you're trying to get that job.

It also conflicts with your clearance if you're already holding one.

I'm not saying you should or shouldn't support Wikileaks. Just make sure you
give it adequate thought before jumping on a torrent.

~~~
jackolas
It's absurd. It's public knowledge now. They're trying to threaten the
bourgeois intellectuals. DOn't give into this baseless (Baseless in precedent
I don't know how much they get to discriminate based on politics) threat. Also
if State et al. don't hire anyone interested by the cables I think we might be
slightly screwed later.

~~~
kgroll
Rather than get into the ethics of it, I was simply hoping that people would
pause, even if just for a second, to make sure they were comfortable being
involved. I'm not trying to sway people either way.

I agree with you - you can't put Pandora back in the box. I don't, however,
think that changes the classification of the leaked documents. When judging an
individual's fitness for a security clearance, I imagine that they're looking
more at character traits than specific instances of undesirable behavior.
Sharing these documents that are already "public knowledge" is only noteworthy
because it _may_ indicate that you're not uncomfortable with the idea of
releasing classified documents if it's for a cause you believe in. (Just
speculating here)

 _> >Also if State et al. don't hire anyone interested by the cables I think
we might be slightly screwed later_

I disagree with this. I can think of a handful of reasons somebody lacking
interest in these cables would still want to work for the government. Example:
To do engineering work for a defense contractor, you'll undoubtedly need a
secret+ clearance. You might seek such positions for the job security they
provide. Or maybe you're interested in working with cutting edge technology
that isn't necessarily available at more budget constrained (IE commercial)
companies. Many of the engineers working at a high technical level are drawn
to the technology, not the politics.

To reveal any bias, I should note that I do contract work for the US
government.

------
jdp23
send a holiday card to Bradley Manning (the alleged whistleblower, currently
in the brig in Quantico)

[http://www.bradleymanning.org/15364/holiday-cards-for-
bradle...](http://www.bradleymanning.org/15364/holiday-cards-for-bradley-
mannings-freedom/)

------
steveklabnik
Don't stop the support once it's no longer frontpage news.

As for details... I'm wondering myself. I feel too much like a slacktivist so
far.

------
raheemm
Write to your politician/newspaper in support for wikileaks

~~~
jdp23
great suggestion. and phone them, too.

------
pbiggar
I suppose one way to help is by sending them leaks. I hear they're looking for
corporate leaks now, so they could certainly be helped by people who have
evidence of corporate wrongdoing.

------
dammit
<http://piratenpad.de/CBlttttTHT>

------
TGJ
Wait, at what point did releasing classified information, treason, become
something worth supporting?

Edit: I love it. Downvoted. Information is classified for many reasons. Some
of which are because some information may help the US's enemies. That is
treason.

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against
them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

You only know now that the information released was not of high caliber. You
only know that after 1 man decided to release these documents. If this 1 man
decides to continue to release information, one day he may release something
more substantial that could actually harm the US.

You downvote me for what? Because you don't agree that it's treason? Or you
simply support someone releasing classified information. You don't get to
break the law and then later claim that it's not that bad. He broke. the. law.

~~~
FluidDjango
I'll agree that _embarrassing_ information was released.

But I think the allegation of "eleasing classified information, treason..."
needs to be proven ( at least _better_ evidenced ) before suppression by
governmental (quasi-governmental?) retaliation.

~~~
TGJ
See, it's only with hindsight that you get to know that it was simply
embarrassing information. Before it was released, it could have been a myriad
of things all of which could have easily been treason because it may have
aided our enemies.

