Cryptome
Encyclopedia
Cryptome is a website hosted in the United States
since 1996 by independent scholar
s and architects John Young and Deborah Natsios that functions as a repository for information about freedom of speech
, cryptography
, spying, and surveillance
. According to the site:
Cryptome hosted documents, consisting of over 54,000 files, include suppressed photographs of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq
, lists of people believed to be MI6
agents, detailed maps of government facilities (based on publicly available mapping and aerial photography), and 4,000 photos of the Iraq War killed and maimed.
Several other websites are closely linked to Cryptome. Cartome, administered by Deborah Natsios, is an archive of spatial and geographic documents related to the same topics covered by Cryptome. Eyeball Series provides photographic documentation of sensitive sites which are customarily concealed from public view. Another website, Cryptome CN, specialises in the publication of documents and information banned in the People's Republic of China
.
's servers on May 4 for unspecified breaches of their acceptable use policy
. The notice period of two weeks allowed Cryptome to engage alternative hosting.
In February 2010, Cryptome was briefly shut down by Network Solutions for alleged DMCA
violations after it posted a "Microsoft legal spy manual". Microsoft withdrew the complaint 3 days later and the website was restored. In March 2010, PayPal
stopped processing donations to Cryptome and froze the account's funds.
agents from a counter-terrorism office and describes having a casual discussion with the agents. He further describes how on another occasion two FBI agents spoke with him on the phone. During this conversation, he claims, one agent warned of "serious trouble" if a published account of the conversation contained the agents' names.
published an article, based on an interview with Young, with a highly critical view of Cryptome in its regular feature "That's Outrageous". It asserted that Cryptome is an "invitation to terrorists" and claimed that Young "may well have put lives at risk". Young says he welcomed the critique from an opposing political ideologue as a contribution to a public debate on the need to broaden freedom of information beyond narrow "reputable" media outlets.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1996 by independent scholar
Independent scholar
An independent scholar is anyone who conducts scholarly research outside universities and traditional academia. Independent scholars play an especially important role in areas such as art history and other humanities fields...
s and architects John Young and Deborah Natsios that functions as a repository for information about freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
, spying, and surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
. According to the site:
Cryptome welcomes documents for publication that are prohibited by governments worldwide, in particular material on freedom of expression, privacy, cryptology, dual-use technologies, national security, intelligence, and secret governance—open, secret and classified documents—but not limited to those.
Cryptome hosted documents, consisting of over 54,000 files, include suppressed photographs of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, lists of people believed to be MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agents, detailed maps of government facilities (based on publicly available mapping and aerial photography), and 4,000 photos of the Iraq War killed and maimed.
Several other websites are closely linked to Cryptome. Cartome, administered by Deborah Natsios, is an archive of spatial and geographic documents related to the same topics covered by Cryptome. Eyeball Series provides photographic documentation of sensitive sites which are customarily concealed from public view. Another website, Cryptome CN, specialises in the publication of documents and information banned in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
History
On 20 April 2007 the website received notice that the site would be evicted from its hosting company VerioVerio
Verio is a global web hosting provider headquartered in the United States. Incorporated in 1996 in Denver, Colorado, it is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Communications, who acquired the company in 2000...
's servers on May 4 for unspecified breaches of their acceptable use policy
Acceptable use policy
An acceptable use policy is a set of rules applied by the owner/manager of a network, website or large computer system that restrict the ways in which the network site or system may be used...
. The notice period of two weeks allowed Cryptome to engage alternative hosting.
In February 2010, Cryptome was briefly shut down by Network Solutions for alleged DMCA
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization . It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to...
violations after it posted a "Microsoft legal spy manual". Microsoft withdrew the complaint 3 days later and the website was restored. In March 2010, PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
stopped processing donations to Cryptome and froze the account's funds.
Governmental Investigation
Young claims that Cryptome has attracted the attention of government agencies. He reports being visited by two FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agents from a counter-terrorism office and describes having a casual discussion with the agents. He further describes how on another occasion two FBI agents spoke with him on the phone. During this conversation, he claims, one agent warned of "serious trouble" if a published account of the conversation contained the agents' names.
Criticism
In March 2005 the Reader's DigestReader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
published an article, based on an interview with Young, with a highly critical view of Cryptome in its regular feature "That's Outrageous". It asserted that Cryptome is an "invitation to terrorists" and claimed that Young "may well have put lives at risk". Young says he welcomed the critique from an opposing political ideologue as a contribution to a public debate on the need to broaden freedom of information beyond narrow "reputable" media outlets.
See also
- Freedom of informationFreedom of informationFreedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
- ActivismActivismActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
- Open governmentOpen governmentOpen government is the governing doctrine which holds that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction it opposes reason of state and racist considerations, which have tended to legitimize...
- SecrecySecrecySecrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals...
- WikiLeaksWikileaksWikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
- Scientific journalismScientific journalismScientific journalism is the practice of including primary sources along with journalistic stories. The concept has been championed by Julian Assange of Wikileaks and is inspired by the philosophy of Karl Popper.-Technology:...