Step by step – that’s how the leak spread
The research network Bellingcat has mapped the tortuous path of the Pentagon Papers. The review shows that the first documents may have been posted on Internet forums already several months ago.
At the center of the classified papers’ path to the public is Discord, a service used by millions of people every day, often to communicate about online games. The platform has around 150 million monthly users and consists of lots of groups/servers that you need to be invited to in order to be active.
Now something of a user exodus seems to have hit Discord – many are leaving out of fear, reports the gaming site my city.
Went under several names
The Discord server where the documents first appeared has gone by several names, including “Thug Shaker Central.” Discord has received questions from Bellingcat about the server’s existence and about the other servers to which the material was subsequently spread – a Minecraft forum and a forum for a Filipino YouTuber – but has not confirmed anything.
– It is Discord’s highest priority to ensure a safe user experience for our users. We are aware of the material that violates our rules, and our security team is investigating and taking the necessary actions, such as suspending users and servers and cooperating with law enforcement,” a Discord spokesperson said.
“Can’t anti-leak”
Joakim von Braun, specialist in IT security and intelligence operations, does not think it is a planned plan that the documents were spread on Discord without someone or a few having easy access to that particular platform.
– It is not at all impossible that Discord will be shut down, but if it is, there are ignorant thoughts behind it. If it is spread, so be it, it is not possible to anti-leak something when it has already reached 10,000 users, says von Braun.
He believes that the chances are relatively good for the US to find the leak by solving the puzzle of who had access to the various documents.
