State Dept threatens Columbia U students re: posting Wikileak info on social media

[rainbow4321]

Nice. Blackmail them with future employment blackballing.


http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/3/headlines


State Dept. Bars Staffers from WikiLeaks, Warns Students
The U.S. State Department has imposed an order barring employees from reading the leaked WikiLeaks cables. State Department staffers have been told not to read cables because they were classified and subject to security clearances. The State Department’s WikiLeaks censorship has even been extended to university students. An email to students at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs says: "The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks are still considered classified documents. recommends that you DO NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media sites such as Facebook or through Twitter. Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government."

[northoftheborder]

1. Bad policy from State Dept. BAD. The students....

could be learning a lot from these cables, if only how not to communicate in a way which would embarrass or be misunderstood.

[DBoon]

3. they are already learning a lot from the State Department

lessons on what happens to liberty and due process when it threatens powerful interests

[tammywammy]

2. I've been told the same thing

I hold a security clearance and accessing accessing the classified information released by Wikileaks, I would have to admit that I accessed classified information on an unclassified system without a need-to-know and could possibly lose my security clearance.

Edited to add: I don't think of this as a "threat" just a matter-of-fact and restatement of the types of questions you have to answer in order to receive a security clearance ("Have you ever tried to access classified information?").

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

8. Bingo. If you want a security clearance (now or in the future)... don't associate with wikileaks.

Makes perfect sense. And I agree with the policy.

[tammywammy]

9. Yep, doesn't bother me.

I can read articles about Wikileaks, I can read what people say about it on DU, I just will never access his website or the actual mass-information he's released.

edited to add: The warning came from within the company I work for, not the State Dept or DoD, just like in the OP it appears the warning came from the school not the State Dept.

[redking123]

24. Need-to-know basis.

You need to know.

Ignorance is bliss. It is also a good cover for others doing things not in your interest. Decide now whether the government has been created by people to serve people or if the government has been created to be obeyed by people held in ignorance of its actions.

You need to know.

[DemReadingDU]

25. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[mmonk]

4. So they want their prospective employees uninformed.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Thanks Hillary..... because that's her department

and she is in charge...... This is shameful threaten students posting this.

[RufusTFirefly]

6. "They see you when you're sleeping. They know when you're awake

...They know if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake!"

Merry Christmas, Everybodeeeee!

[MikeFoxtroters]

7. From the school

Sounds like the email to students was probably generated by the school since it was focused on the School of international affairs students who most likely will in the future move into government jobs.

[Goldstein1984]

10. This is what happens when...

Truth becomes an enemy of the state.

Whether the government likes it or not, these documents are no public. Telling U.S. citizens they can't read documents that a Nigerian sitting in a coffee shop can read is not only arrogant and stupid, it's authoritarian and should raise alarms about impending tyranny.

I disagree with the policy. It's another example of this government leading/coercing with fear instead of moral authority.

[EFerrari]

12. Of course it is. And this whole idea of not putting a security

clearance at risk is a great example of coercion dressed up as "security".

[leftstreet]

14. +1

[CoffeeCat]

11. This only draws more attention

...to the notion that our government has become Fascist. The government may be
right about reading these documents jeopardizing future employment. However, this
type of threat, "Do this and suffer the consequences" has a jack-boot ring to it.

People who truly view Assange as a hero--which is probably 95 percent of college
students, will only be empowered to not only read the documents, but post them on
their social media sites--as the email warns against doing.

This will backfire big time.

Interesting that Columbia did this.

[closeupready]

15. That's was my first impression, too.

Here come the 60's, all over again.

[justinaforjustice]

13. Wonderful, Insures Thousands More Will Read Them.

There is nothing like banning a book or movie to increase its readership, ask the Catholic Church.

I anticipate a lot of politically aware geeks will be busy creating mirror sites for the wikileaks documents titled with names like "New international Cooking Recipes" so folks can access the documents without destroying their access to security clearances. Geeks are infinitely creative, especially when poked by the government.

Actually, there is a lot to be learned from the documents. I was particularly impressed by one analysis of Britain's response to the changing ethnic composition of its population. It was extremely well written and sympathetic to the non-white ethnic groups whose presence was discomforting many of Britain's traditional government agencies. That was one State Department analyst who had really studied anthropology and knew his/her stuff. If we had more State Department employees like that, we might have an effective and more human foreign policy.

[tammywammy]

16. Changing the file title, wouldn't change the nature of the documents

When you go for your security clearance, you'd know you accessed classified material. Just changing the title doesn't making accessing classified material on an unclassified computer without a need to know any different. You'd still have to mark down that you did it. That's what puts your clearance in jepoardy, and it could be any classified information, the Wikileaks is just included in with the thousands of other classified documents.

[Better Believe It]

17. Don't read WikiLeaks documents! Don't become an enemy of the state! Big Brother is watching!

So are we.

[tammywammy]

19. I would have to admit to accessing classified material without a need-to-know

It's pretty straight forward regarding all classified materials.

BTW, that doesn't mean I can't read articles about the material, or read the threads on DU. And not once have they said "By reading Wikileaks you will lose your clearance." They've stated the obvious, you'd have to report it and you could but it's not a done deal.

I could take the chance, but since I like my job (I'd lose my job if I lost my clearance), and I enjoy paying my mortgage each month, I choose to NOT access Wikileaks.

[Better Believe It]

18. Don't be afraid of Big Brother. Everyone go visit WikiLeaks now. Read the truth!

http://213.251.145.96/

[EFerrari]

20. One of us, somebody, has to start "I Read Wikileaks" at FB.

I just tried but I can't navigate it very well.

[saras]

21. What about the Pentagon papers?

Is anyone who read them also banned from government service?

What if they read mainstream news articles that quote the leaked documents?

Sounds to me like someone should print all the stuff out and post it on bulletin boards all over the university.

[joeybee12]

22. Nice...the whole world knows now, but the people going into State Dept careers

SHOUDL REMAIN IN THE DARK.

Fucking idiots.

[Better Believe It]

23. That's because they might "leak" the truth to the people and we can't have that!

[kgnu_fan]

26. Fear is an American value