Wikileaks has published what it describes as the biggest ever leak of documents from the Central Intelligence Agency – potentially embarrassing docs for the agency which detail how they break into communications devices, phones and apps.
The leak, named ‘Vault 7’, appear to be from the agency’s Centre for Cyber Intelligence, and focus on how their digital specialists engage in hacking and electronic surveillance. Obviously there’s a shitload to sift through, but the stuff that has bubbled to the surface already is pretty damning.
The biggest revelation so far that everybody is talking about today is that the CIA cooperated with British intelligence to work out a way to compromise smart TVs and turn them into basically big surveillance devices. The agencies tried to work out a way to essentially keep the TV cameras and microphones active and transmitting data while appearing to be off.
That Samsung smart TV? The CIA can turn the mic on and listen to everything you say #vault7 #1984rebooted pic.twitter.com/CAm1E2TgxV
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 7, 2017
So, feel completely justified in your decision to not invest in a smart TV – which you clearly did for security reasons, not because you don’t have any money and you really, honestly don’t need a TV with apps.
In light of recent Wikileaks revelations, my “never buy a smart TV because they seem pointless & also you’re lazy” plan was sound
— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) March 7, 2017
Wikileaks has been in hot water of late as many American liberals turn against them, after allegations that theycolluded with Russian intelligence to help Donald Trump get elected. No hard evidence has been provided for this claim, but it has seen a huge pivot in the support for an organisation that was once a darling for liberals after the Chelsea Manning leaks.
Wikileaks have in the past copped criticism for dumping documents online without redacting names, which some say endangers innocent people. They’ve never quite accepted that argument, but perhaps they’ve taken it onboard – these docs feature redacted named.
Though it’s pretty obvious these documents are real, and The Guardian reports that their sources confirm it, the CIA won’t comment. “We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents,” wrote CIA spokesperson Heather Fritz Horniak.
Welp, there ya go. Switch off your telly or the spooks might be watching you sprawled out like some kind of swamp lemur spree-watching Black Mirror.
Source: The Guardian.
Photo: Getty Images.
