Whistle-blower site Wikileaks has delivered thousands of classified documents to several publications in Europe and the United States, each containing “embarrassing” details of United States’ diplomatic talks, the site has said.
The impending release of the documents forced US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to embark on a whirlwind of calls to ally nations warning them of some embarrassing details in the hope of containing fallout.
The release contains a number of claims including an accusation the US used diplomats to spy on the UN, and that China is using operatives to conduct computer sabotage attacks on the United States and its allies.
The White House has issued a response to the leaks, calling them irresponsible. It has warned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange that releasing the documents will constitute an illegal act and endanger the lives of several people named in the documents.
“President Obama supports responsible, accountable, and open government at home and around the world, but this reckless and dangerous action runs counter to that goal. By releasing stolen and classified documents, Wikileaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these individuals,” the White House said.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the unauthorised disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national security information.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
