The reporting of the leaked US intelligence documents, and even the release of parts of these documents, could have serious consequences for the national security of the United States. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in Washington on Monday. “None of this material belongs in the public domain, none of it,” he was quoted as saying by the dpa news agency. At the same time, however, Kirby also assured that the “regrettable disclosure of classified information” had so far not resulted in trust “being broken” in the partner countries. There one would appreciate how seriously the country deals with the massive leak and those responsible for it.
No whistleblower
Last Thursday, the US Federal Police FBI arrested a 21-year-old military member who is accused of having shared secret documents about the Ukraine war in a chat group on Discord for months. According to US media, he initially posted as transcripts, later he uploaded photos of the printed documents. The documents then found their way from the chat group with a few dozen members to other chats and finally to public Internet forums, where they went largely unnoticed. The US government only became aware of this at the beginning of April.
A member of the original chat group told The Washington Post that the 21-year-old is not a whistleblower like Edward Snowden. Despite all the criticism that the leaker leveled at the US government, he saw no evidence that it assumed it was acting in the public interest. The man, who also shared racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay content, may have wanted to impress his online friends, writes the US newspaper. Some documents would reveal Ukraine’s weaknesses in defending against Russia, others those of the Russian attackers. He probably assumed that the documents would remain in the group.
In response to the events, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has also ordered a review of policies and procedures for protecting classified information. The said its spokeswoman Sabrina Singh also on Monday. These investigations should be completed in 45 days and suggestions for improvement should be available. After the leaks became known, US media pointed out that thousands or even tens of thousands of people have access to such secret documents that are created for the US General Staff. Singh, too, has now asked the press to be careful in reporting the leaks and to consider possible implications for national security and the safety of their own personnel and their allies.
The US news broadcaster NBC reported last week that the US government is also planning to monitor more websites, chat services and social networks in response. This is to prevent a similar leak in the future. But legal requirements could stand in the way, NBC quotes an unnamed expert as saying. Discussion platforms that can be viewed publicly may be monitored, but law enforcement agencies are not allowed to infiltrate private chat rooms. It is precisely in such a way that the leak now being debated began.
(my)
