Wikileaks upset after secret spy report dismissed online as ‘fake and gay’
Wikileaks has urged whistleblowers to take more care – after secret documents from a spy agency were branded “fake and gay” when leaked onto an internet forum.
Australian Department of Defence graduate Michael Scerba is facing charges for allegedly disclosing documents in 2012, after managing to download secret Defence Intelligence Organisation reports.
The reports were uploaded to notorious internet forum 4chan – but users were unconvinced the files were genuine, branding them “fake and gay”.
An anonymous post lamented that the leak was not treated seriously, saying: “To my dismay I just got a bunch of ‘fake and gay’ remarks and the secret documents went 404 [website not found] about 4 comments and 1 hour later.”
Speaking to Fairfax Media, representatives of Wikileaks – which has helped infamous whistleblowers including Chelsea Manning release files – said that would-be leakers should take care and “do it right”.
They said: “If you’re going to leak sensitive documents on the internet, do it right and come to us.
“What’s really sad about this case is that the Australian public is still denied what sounds like it is a significant document.”
Transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning is currently serving a 35-year sentence at a maximum-security military prison in the US, after leaking classified information to WikiLeaks.
