Terabyte-Sized 'Panama Papers' Leak Confirms The Continuing Rise Of The Super-Whistleblowers
from the who's-next? dept
As you may have noticed on Twitter and across social media, a big leak of documents from Mossack Fonseca, a global law firm based in Panama, took place over the weekend. Actually, to call the Panama Papers leak "big" is something of an understatement:
11.5 million records, dating back nearly 40 years -- making it the largest leak in offshore history. Contains details on more than 214,000 offshore entities connected to people in more than 200 countries and territories. Company owners in billionaires, sports stars, drug smugglers and fraudsters.
The main Panama Papers site run by The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists notes this bounty has provoked the "largest cross-border collaboration ever"; dozens of media sites are involved, although curiously few from the US. That means in-depth analysis of the implications of these documents for the rich, the powerful, the criminals and the companies they created will be appearing for many weeks, if not months. So there's little point trying to second-guess what will emerge, not least because there is no public access to the documents involved, making deeper analysis impossible.
Fortunately, here on Techdirt we're interested in a few specialized angles. For example, the tech side. The Guardian states that the the Panama Papers total 2.6 terabytes of data, which dwarfs earlier leaks of financial documents: the HSBC files are 3.3 gigabytes, the Luxembourg tax files 4.4 gigabytes, and the so-called "offshore secrets" files total 260 gigabytes, while Wikileaks is a mere 1.7 gigabytes.
A few years ago, it would have been inconceivable to "exfiltrate" terabytes of data like this. That in itself was a powerful brake on massive leaks. But today you can buy a portable, pocket-sized USB hard disk drive with a capacity of several terabytes for tens of dollars, with prices continuing to fall -- thanks to Kryder's Law and other factors. As a result, we are seeing leak inflation: where whistleblowers first grabbed megabytes and then gigabytes, but they now take terabytes, simply because they can. Why settle for a partial set, and risk leaving behind the juicy stuff, when you can simply "collect it all" (now, where have we heard that before?)
So leaks are likely to get bigger. They may also become more common. The more high-profile whistleblowers there are, the more others are likely to be inspired to do the same. That fact has not gone unnoticed in the corporate world. In an evident attempt to stem the flow of embarrassing leaks, companies have been pushing for more laws to protect their "trade secrets." For example, as Techdirt noted last year, TPP includes stronger protection, and TAFTA/TTIP will have it too. Even before TTIP is likely to require it, the EU is proposing to bring in new laws to beef up protection for corporate trade secrets:
A small group of lobbyists working for large multinational companies (Dupont, General Electric, Intel, Nestlé, Michelin, Safran, Alstom…) convinced the European Commission to draft such a legislation, and helped it all along the way. The problem is that they were too successful in their lobbying: they transformed a legislation which should have regulated fair competition between companies into something resembling a blanket right to corporate secrecy, which now threatens anyone in society who sometimes needs access to companies' internal information without their consent: consumers, employees, journalists, scientists...
As that post from Corporate Europe Observatory puts it, we are witnessing attempts to enshrine a new "right to corporate secrecy" around the world. That's the bad news; the good news is that it's getting easier for anyone to be a super-whistleblower on a massive scale. Recognizing the value of such leaks, the Greens in the European Parliament hope to present a proposal for laws protecting whistleblowers across Europe. There's not much hope it will be adopted at this stage, but it's a further sign of how important this whole area has become.
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Filed Under: leak, panama, panama papers, whistleblower
Companies: mossack fonseca
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and dont forget the reminder we had a week or so ago about how Obama wants to see more whistle blowing done, just like he did when he came to office, but then shits all over those people, allowing God knows which security force to go hell for leather to have the people arrested and thrown into jail!!
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It is getting close, Cameron’s Father was a client.
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No wonder.
They probably don't want to upset their bosses.
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Is it any wonder that you're only hearing about people/organizations from other countries?
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https://panamapapers.icij.org/pages/reporting_partners/
http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.d e/en/
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It's not surprising the citizens of Iceland were especially peeved from the revelations (more like confirmations), given the last decade or so.
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ICIJ
with their cobelligerants:
Charlotte Observer, The Miami Herald (Local media)
Univision, Fusion, Mcclatchy (larger media)
Columbia University, ICFJ (Interest groups)
Guardian, BBC (legitimate large media)
That the investigation is lead by Süddeutcher Zeitung is just a rouse to throw you off. All of it is pure propaganda. I have heard it from russian authorities!
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the trouble is that there are so many politicians who are in bed with so many law enforcement heads and so many company bosses that, although they want everyone to use all the new, the latest technology, they only want it used in the ways, the places and under the circumstances that they say! how fucking ridiculous is that?? then when shit hits fan and all us ordinary joes find out exactly what those rich and powerful bastards are up to, getting laws crafted that suits them and only them, they dont like it when the retaliation starts! well, that's what happens when you behave like you are the most entitled in the world and the ordinary folk are nothing but crap!!
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Hey look we found a back door and recovered all this data for law enforcement.
or
Hey we found a back door and leaked all this data find them son of bitches who did this.
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Response to: please dont tell me there was a 'backdoor' Apr 4th, 2016 @ 12:18pm
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Who's to blame?
Nor did Chelsea Manning. Guess there's still hope for investigative journalism yet.
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Re: Who's to blame?
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The price per capacity rate continues to fall, but since capacity keeps increasing, the price for new drives never seems to fall below $60-80 or so. People often say that hard drives today cost just pennies a gigabyte, but if that's true, why can't I buy a new 500GB drive for $20?
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Solid-state drives have a lower minimum price for the hardware, but the storage capacities lag over regular drives. But you will eventually get your $20 500G drive... as an SD card or USB stick.
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Next ban
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Now no need for the /sarc tag.
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The greatest thing in a long time!
This is a major breakthrough in revealing such people, even though it is "just" info from one single company dealing in such things.
Not only is it great to see their activities being dragged out into the bright light, but maybe just as much a cooperation between journalists across the world to sift through this information. The only leak seems to have come a few days before the reveal.
Then there is of course the whistleblower, who defied some of the worlds most powerful and vengeful people. Doing something for the good of the public without ever being able to take credit because that would make him a target for possibly the rest of his life, equals Snowden's revelations.
In this I don't find surprise at the corrupt politicians or the powerful people's illegal activities, but instead great joy that it is brought forward by such cooperation and dedication.
In short: Very well done!
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Unaoil?
Cui bono applied to this leak?
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i wonder why
Looking at the list of (potential) clients, I assume that some of them would be very unpleased having thier involvement made public.
Maybe we will see some tragic traffic accidents in the near future.
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Data is not an asset, it’s a liability
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/03/da ta_is_a_toxic.html
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Lot of info on that site, lotta malfeasance, but I found myself particularly unmoved by the plight of the ex-wives trying to get their "fair share" of some ill-gotten billions for no more puttin' out than any trailerpark babymomma. Somehow:
"Offshore law firm jokes in emails as they help husband “protect” assets against “unpleasant” divorce."
...doesn't really generate much outrage with me. On the one side, funds gained or used in all kinds of vile ways, on the other, a mindless system that makes mind-boggling transfers of wealth sans wisdom or even sometimes, much regard for reality...not really a happy-making read, at all.
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Jeff Spicoli wants to know...
Does weed taste better with Panama papers?
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The odds of what?
Zero to none.
Because if anyone is that stupid, to go outside of the country to hide their money in a place that is well-known for being a tax-haven for super-rich elite (and some criminals)..they've got more problems than just being in the race.
Because the IRS would like to talk to them...especially after the cooperation with the Swiss banks that did a good number on them.
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Ours Truly
Truthman. A Man who told the Truth, on the planet of Lies.
...truly sad.
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Aussie PM proud of offshore accounts in tax haven
As Rupert Murdoch controls a large share of the MSM, the far right wing lobby group the "IPA" & the current right wing government, all is well for our offshore banking tax avoiding leader who advocates the poor old workers at the bottom to pay more tax & enjoy less government services whilst loudly proclaiming that tax cuts for the rich & companies that the rich own will make everyone richer.
So much for the Commonwealth of Australia.
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Re: Aussie PM proud of offshore accounts in tax haven
Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, should follow along right into the hole Australia is digging.
Now where have se seen those name, all together, before.
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