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Twitter Blows Up After WikiLeaks Announces ‘Online Database’ of Verified Users

 

image-via-gil-c-and-shutterstockOn Friday, WikiLeaks announced that they want an online database of verified Twitter users which apparently means collecting information on people’s families, jobs, financial information, and housing.

Here’s the announcement from the “WikiLeak Task Force,” a verified account that describes itself as the official “support account” for the main WikiLeaks twitter page:

Turns out tweeting this plan on the actual Twitter didn’t play well. People were displeased because, uh, it sounded a lot like doxing: publishing people’s personal and identifying information online without their permission.

Alex Griswold, a columnist at sister-site Mediaite, even sent in this.

It’s unclear how this proposal would work in practice, so LawNewz.com reached out for comment. The account told a Vocativ reporter that they didn’t want to dox anyone.

Privacy concerns definitely fuels a lot of the blowback, but there’s also bitterness at the group’s alleged support for controversial President-elect Donald Trump. After all, they published emails from the personal account of John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential run. This led to months of bad press for her, and it is an oft-cited factor for her loss. It doesn’t help that the fact that the U.S. Government has accused Russia of supporting these hacks to influence the election.

Update – January 7, 10:55 p.m.: The main @WikiLeaks account is distancing itself from the Task Force.

We’ve reached out to them for comment on their specific relationship to the Task Force, which has been verified by Twitter, and is still actually referenced on the @WikiLeaks profile as of Saturday.

[image via Gil C and Shutterstock]

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