Sen. Feinstein More Worried About Reaction To The Leak About Stuxnet, Rather Than Reaction To Stuxnet Itself

from the missing-the-point dept

Last week, we wrote about the NYTimes investigative report that revealed that the US government was behind Stuxnet, and that President Obama was very, very involved in the process. It was widely assumed that the US was involved, but this revealed a bunch of details. We were surprised that the White House appeared not to pressure the NYTs to kill the story (as it has with other leaks of classified info), but wondered if the fact that this made the White House look "tough" and showed a "success story" for the administration, caused them to let it go forward. Since then, however, reports have come out that the FBI is investigating the leak, and Senator Feinstein is similarly calling for hearings on the leak (though, the cynical might argue that this just keeps the "success story" in the news).

But, the most bizarre response to this also comes from Senator Feinstein, who publicly worried that the leak would lead to copycat attacks against the US. The leak. Not the actual attack:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee, said the leak about the attack on Iran’s nuclear program could “to some extent” provide justification for copycat attacks against the United States.

“This is like an avalanche. It is very detrimental and, candidly, I found it very concerning,” Feinstein said. “There’s no question that this kind of thing hurts our country.”
This is, to put it mildly, crazy. The argument appears to be that it's okay to do technological attacks... just as long as it's all done in secret and no one ever talks about it. Without the leak, the attack still happened, and that information became public quite some time ago. If anything was going to inspire copycat attacks it would have been that. Though, even then, the claim is questionable. Those who wish to do this country harm haven't been sitting around saying "gee, we can't do anything technological" until they saw Stuxnet come along.

What's really ridiculous about Feinstein's statement is the basic chilling effects that it puts forth. It suggests that the US government can do whatever it wants in attacking other countries, just so long as no one ever talks about it. The talking about factual information isn't the issue here. And Feinstein should know that, rather than suggesting that basic investigative reporting is the problem.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: dianne feinstein, intelligence committee, leak, obama, stuxnet, white house


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • icon
    Lowestofthekeys (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:05am

    This is how you know politicians do not understand the internet when they're completely unaware that what they say is broadcast to a huge audience.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:13am

    Yeah, it's a presidential election year. Everything from DC is always staged, but this is the big production.

    Calling for hearings on perfectly legal activity though, that's signature US congress. They'll be sure to bring in a bunch of people they find offensive then give 'em the ol' Roger Clemens treatment.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:19am

    so basically, it's ok when this type of thing is carried out by the USA as long as it's kept secret. so, in the event that information is released, it's ok to say openly what was done but wrong to suggest unofficially what it was done? duh!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 4:39pm

      Re:

      It's a fucking canard. Any information of actual importance will never be released. The idea that any classified information is a threat to this country is BS and only used to keep the population in fear and bickering amongst eachother.

      There is no justification to keep anything secret what so ever. All secrecy does is give power to those with access to the knowledge being kept from others.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:20am

    Hey, according to Sen. Feinstein that means you can break whatever laws you want, just as long as you do the following.

    -Never talk about it.
    -Don't leave evidence lying around that show you did it.
    -Don't get caught running away from the scene of the crime, or even being in a few hundred miles in the area when the crime occurred.
    -Don't leave any witnesses to your crime.
    -Don't report your illegal gains from the crime in your taxes.
    -Don't leave any electronic records of the crime, or research you did before committing the crime, or cell phone records of your location during the crime.

    Actually, I misspoke earlier, as long as you do all the above steps, you didn't commit a crime, because no one will ever know who did it!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 12:16pm

      Re:

      No, what it means it that you can break whatever laws you want, so long as you are the U.S. government.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:24am

    Feinstein

    Hmmm...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:25am

    Incontingencies?

    "It suggests that the US government can do whatever it wants in attacking other countries, just so long as no one ever talks about it."
    Right up there with "It's only illegal if you get caught."

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:38am

    WTF?! Not even 'rogue' states brag about pulling shit like this off...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:43am

    "It suggests that the US government can do whatever it wants in attacking other countries, just so long as no one ever talks about it."

    Also explains how they reacted to Wikileaks/

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:44am

    "It suggests that the US government can do whatever it wants in attacking other countries, just so long as no one ever talks about it."

    It also explains why they reacted to Wikileaks the way they did.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:50am

    Dinosaur Feinstein strikes again

    When will she finally become extinct?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    harbingerofdoom (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 10:58am

    thats not crazy, thats feinstein.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    weneedhelp (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 11:22am

    Sometimes they hate us for good reasons

    We keep wondering, "Why do they hate us?" Well, maybe some people are mad because we are doing things that we would regard as unjustified and heinous acts of war if anyone dared do them to us.

    http://articles.philly.com/2012-06-06/news/32079900_1_supreme-leader-iran-cyber-war

    "“Ther e’s no question that this kind of thing hurts our country.”" Indeed Mrs. Feinstein, but not the way YOU think.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Digitari, 8 Jun 2012 @ 11:38am

    Re:

    I honestly think this is the first women in history that can confuse MENSES and MENSA

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2012 @ 12:41pm

    and who was it that voted this and other clueless idiots into the Senate as representatives of the people? us ordinary citizens! and will we do it again? of course. anyone that is worth having in the Senate never gets there because of the closing of ranks by 'the old guard'!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bruce, 8 Jun 2012 @ 12:42pm

    To her credit she did also say that she is worried that no one will work with the US if they don't believe that we can keep our big fat traps shut. Just look at how Obama threw the poor Pakistani doctor under the bus just so he can run around practically claiming that he pulled the trigger and blew off OBL's head...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    gorehound (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 1:50pm

    I have no faith in this Government one bit.Back in the 70's i wondered what it would be like to live in a World where the Gov & The Rich had crashed to the ground.I fought what we called "The Establishment" by Protesting Peacefully and in Non-Violent Ways.
    Rate things are going I may just live long enough to see it as a Reality.I wonder what it will be like to live in a World that is similar to all those bad 1980's Made Mad Max Type Films.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    phildem, 8 Jun 2012 @ 2:19pm

    she's a war profiteer

    She and her significant other, both have all kinds of cozy holdings with big defense contractors, she's a war criminal, and should be in jail.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Greymatters, 8 Jun 2012 @ 7:48pm

    She's right.

    I believe ya'll are acting way too cynical... The Senator is perfectly correct. It is indeed the leak was damaging not the actual cyberattack. Think about it- if there is no direct line leading back to the United States, people arn't going to retaliate because they arn't certain who did it- there's so much propaganda and shadowgames going on as it is that it's practically impossible to believe anything. But, when America's most respected newspaper fingers its own government, and circumstancial evidence points to our governments complicitness in the leak itself, I believe that is going to spark far more serious repercussions than the virus iteself.
    And no i don't think its OK for it to be happening at all, but the senator's point of view is very understandable if not condonable.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2012 @ 9:50pm

      Re: She's right.

      I doubt that. I think enough of the US government in its various forms is compromised that the information is out there in the hands of those willing to sell it and available for those who would make a point of paying to acquire it, and you cannot reasonably think Iran cannot or would not pay to know who pulled this particular swifty on them.

      For all we know Iran not only knew all the leaked information, but also contracted its leaking.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    techflaws (profile), 10 Jun 2012 @ 12:28am

    Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee...

    Something doesn't add up here.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    geral, 2 Aug 2012 @ 11:06am

    nazifeinstein

    Feinstein is the most dangerous and corrupt Senator in the USA. She allows the fbi/cia to repeat criminal & inhumane elements (ie torture, murder, etc) of the Holocaust right here in usa, even against our own vets. For more criminal acts condoned or approved by Feinstein see:
    The fbi & cia to torture, maim or kill some dissidents. See:

    http://www.sosbeevfbi.com/non-consensual.html

    http://napoli.indymedia.org/2012/06/28/the- moral-freefall-of-the-united-states-of-america/

    http://italy.indymedia.org/n/6972/05-07-12/evidence-police-state
    Then See:

    The fbi/cia/dod global crime and mass murder spree spawns more carnage everywhere.


    LAWS OF PHYSICS & DIVINE NATURE !


    A nation and its people who deliberately engage in the systematic conquest, subjugation, torture, imprisonment and killing of others must by the laws of physics and divine nature have the same calamities delivered upon themselves.


    Human beings have "no difficulty in exterminating one another to the last man."Sigmund Freud
    (Civilization and Its Discontents, 1930)




    RELATED:

    http://antwerpen.indymedia.org/node/5389

    http://la.indymedia.org/news/2012/07/254469.php

    http://sosbeevfbi.ning.com/profiles/blogs/law-of-physics-divine-nature

    http://sosbeevfbi.ning.com/m/discussion?id=2179778%3ATopic%3A91

    http://wwwfbimafia.blogspot.com/2012/05/fbi-as-mafia.html

    http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/4995
    http://sosbeevfbi.ning.com/profiles/blogs/law-of-physics-d ivine-nature



    kill box:

    http://www.sosbeevfbi.com/part4-worldinabo.html

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.