Defense Department Blocking Any Website With Wikileaks In The Title?

from the department-of-denial dept

Given the Library of Congress' silly decision to block Wikileaks' website, we've been informed by a reader at the Defense Department that filters of DoD computers currently seem to be blocking access to any website that has "Wikileaks" in the title. The reader (who acknowledges this policy is pretty freaking stupid) was wondering if we might stop using Wikileaks in post titles so that he can continue to read our coverage -- since the filters do allow him to access stories with Wikileaks in the text, rather than the title. First off, we're not going to do that (if you want, try using an RSS reader or reading the stories via the front page) but more importantly, what is the Defense Department thinking? What a hamfisted attempt to block access to information that's widely available.
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Filed Under: blocks, defense department, wikileaks
Companies: wikileaks


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  • icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 1:28pm

    So....

    You have your own DoD "leak" of information related to government practices?

    I'm sure you'll have MiBs knocking on your door in no time....

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:12pm

      Re: So....

      They will zap your memory with those MIB lights to make you forget everything in the leak.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Howard, Cowering, 7 Dec 2010 @ 6:15pm

      Re: So....

      Maybe s/he's in an undisclosed location...
      or secret bunker...
      or on a lawyer hunting trip (oops, hunting trip with a lawyer)...
      or getting a 20,000-hour checkup on his/her mechanical heart (the original one having been removed during a previous administration)...

      it's so hard to remember which story we're pushing this week.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:03pm

    Because blocking strings with websense is the new hotness. I would be willing to bet the 'reader' cant search on those terms either, since that term appears in the URL. It may be hamfisted but it is also routine.

    during world cup coverage I couldnt read anything with 'vuvuzela' in the title because it contained the substring 'VUZE' which is a torrent application.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      :Lobo Santo (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:09pm

      Re: SEXtant

      Guess you're screwed if you ever need to look up how to use a sextant, too.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Big Al, 7 Dec 2010 @ 4:15pm

        Re: Re: SEXtant

        Don't laugh - when my kids were at school they couldn't look up anything about the county 'Sussex', and had to do it from home.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:11pm

      Re:

      during world cup coverage I couldnt read anything with 'vuvuzela' in the title because it contained the substring 'VUZE' which is a torrent application.

      that.. sounds.. awesome.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:10pm

    Wikileaks proxy

    Someone should create an open proxy which replaces any instance of the word "Wikileaks" with "puppies". To prevent abuse, it should only allow access to pages with the word "Wikileaks" on them (which will be replaced by "puppies").

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Wikileaks, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:22pm

    Wikileaks in all fields

    We've been informed by a reader at the Defense Department that filters of DoD computers currently seem to be blocking access to any website that has "Wikileaks" in the title.

    Okay, well, the more I read about the DoD and their methods, the more I realize that they all subscribe to Popular Mechanics and did something like this for Halloween. Click through- Something's definitely wrong with this pumpkin [LINK]

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sandwichmancer, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:29pm

    "close your eyes, it will go away"

    Are they dealing with closet monster or reality?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Fucking out of their shoes, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:38pm

    Wikileaks in all fields?

    That's fucking crazy. Well, let's hope they do not cencor "wikileaks" in the comments, LOL: Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, 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Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks, Wikileaks! Fucking out.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:42pm

    My Wikilinks criticism site is screwed!

    All that money to get Wikilinkssucks.com out the window.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    DirtyFrank (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:49pm

    Vuze, sextant et al.

    If this keeps up, people in Scunthorpe are really going to struggle.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:23pm

      Re: Vuze, sextant et al.

      Our email team can't research their own MS Exchange servers!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 2:59pm

    Chief Assange Accuser Has History With CIA and Anti Castro Groups

    Oooh. I just found this-

    ">Assange Accuser Worked with US-Funded, CIA-Tied Anti-Castro Group

    So it *IS* an inside job. Osama Bin Laden living in a cave, that is.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bradley Stewart, 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:04pm

    Let's Put Someone In A

    room filled with Secret Documents with a high speed Computer Line to the outside World. What could possibly ever go wrong? I would just like to know who authorized this idea. Well maybe if were lucky it will come out in the Wiki-Leaks Documents.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:31pm

      Re: Let's Put Someone In A

      the punk that copied the classified documents (does anyone even still remember his name?) burned them to a CD and walked them out the front door. So the Army released a new policy that classified computers can't write to external media anymore. The first reasonable response to this whole thing I've seen.

      /btw, i'm on a DoD computer and have no trouble seeing this page so it's not blocked all over.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 4:57pm

        Re: Re: Let's Put Someone In A

        Hmm. Something tells me that's been available since Windows XP but I could be wrong.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Designerfx (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:07pm

    guess what else?

    also means that it probably won't block the mirrors either

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    rstr5105 (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:13pm

    Is Wikileaks down?

    I don't visit WL Everyday, and I've only been half following the WL story as it has become such a large internet white-noise generator, so I may be a little behind, forgive me if that is the case, but has Wikileaks been taken offline altogether or has my ISP decided to join the bandwagon...?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:27pm

      Re: Is Wikileaks down?

      a bit of both probably. their dns provider won't list them anymore and your isp is run by morons.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:32pm

      Re: Is Wikileaks down?

      Twitter says that Tonight's topics will be Colonel Gaddafi; Saudi fights with Hezbollah, and US propaganda.

      Main site is up. Try a mirror? Wikileaks is currently mirrored on 1005 sites...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 3:57pm

      Re: Is Wikileaks down?

      The main wikileaks.org has been down for several days (DNS issues). Try wikileaks.ch or several other alternate names and mirrors.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        rstr5105 (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 4:49pm

        Re: Re: Is Wikileaks down?

        Thanks I read through a couple of other articles and saw ch url. Been reading the cables since then. =)

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2010 @ 4:04pm

    This is standard stuff in Windows Group Policy settings. Just reading through the hundreds of settings you constantly ask yourself in what conceivable situation would someone want to do X, Y, or Z. But then you remember Microsoft has had a sweet government deal for years.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Joe Krahn, 7 Dec 2010 @ 4:57pm

    Obfuscating proxy?

    I guess people will have to start setting up obfuscating proxy web servers to conceal the filter words.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Daemon_ZOGG (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 6:03pm

    "Defense Department Blocking Any Website With Wikileaks In The Title"

    First off.. A large portion of the US government doesn't really have the Constitution in mind anyway. Having said that.. now use general logic. It's not suprising that US government entities would block or be resentfull of anything relating to WikiLeaks. Personally, I morally support and congratulate(2 thumbs up), Wikileaks for what they are doing. It's high time that democracy was returned back to the people. I'm already tired of the US secret police, facists'. I praise Wikileaks for its efforts. I'd donate some cash, but unfortunately, I happen to live in the US's current third world economic system. }:P

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    abc gum, 7 Dec 2010 @ 6:04pm

    Guess they'll have to stop singing the Star Bangled Banner, as it is no longer applicable.

    I do not remember packing up and moving to China ... but it sure looks like that is what happened. I expect to see tanks rolling down main street anytime now.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    reechard (profile), 7 Dec 2010 @ 6:47pm

    Not only stupid, but dangerous.

    Blocking access to any website that has "Wikileaks" in the title
    Perhaps the geniuses at the DoD don't realize that they are aiding terrorists with policies like that. They give our "enemies" a ridiculously simple method of hiding from the DoD, while they cover their ears and say "LALALALA I can't hear you"

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mindless Automaton, 8 Dec 2010 @ 3:15pm

    Specific Orders

    Above and beyond blocking Wikileaks from DOD computers, members of the US military have been SPECIFICALLY ORDERED not to read or watch anything related to Wikileaks, because the information is still classified, and we are not authorized to view it.
    This includes at home in our personal lives. We are prohibited from viewing the Wikileaks website, and also media outlets such as the New York Times, and any others that publish the information.
    Frankly I find it infuriating...

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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