Students Warned Not To Link To Or Even Read WikiLeaks If They Want A Federal Job

[Amerigo Vespucci]

December 04, 2010 11:00 AM
Students Warned Not To Link To Or Even Read WikiLeaks If They Want A Federal Job. Is This Still America?
19 comments
By Susie Madrak

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/students-are-being-warned-not-link-or

Sure looks like a large and concerted intimidation campaign against WikiLeaks supporters. In addition to this, law students at Boston University were warned not to link to WikiLeaks, or even read it online, because it might keep them from getting a security clearance for a federal job.

Oh, and soldiers trying to read from Iraq get a popup warning them they're about to break the law. Can you say "whack-a-mole", Mr. Constitutional Law Professor?

From Democracy Now! with Glenn Greenwald:

AMY GOODMAN: I'm going to interrupt, because I want to get to some memos that we've been getting from around the country that are very important and interesting. University students are being warned about WikiLeaks. An email from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, that we read in headlines, reads-I want to do it again-quote,

"Hi students,

"We received a call today from a SIPA alumnus who is working at the State Department. He asked us to pass along the following information to anyone who will be applying for jobs in the federal government, since all would require a background investigation and in some instances a security clearance.

"The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks are still considered classified documents. He recommends that you DO NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media sites such as Facebook or through Twitter. Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government.

"Regards, Office of Career Services."

That's the email to Columbia University students at the School of International and Public Affairs.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Hmm. Too bad WikiLeaks wasn't around when we still had the draft.

[EFerrari]

2. Seriously. n/t

[bemildred]

10. LOL. Don't you dare burn that draft card! I remember that. nt

[LiberalLoner]

3. Military getting heavy warnings too. read on...

Told "do not access on your government computer, and do not access at home."

[HipChick]

Any Federal contractors, and any companies with federal contracts...

[ejpoeta]

9. sure, companies who steal money and kill troops with their shoddy electrical work

no problem..... you can keep the contracts and get more. but look at documents on the internet that make us look bad and you can forget it! yeah, sounds like they have their priorities straight.

[HipChick]

28. Then you have a limited knowledge of who has federal contracts

IBM - are you going to stop using their computers?
Boeing- are you going to stop flying their planes?
Microsoft - are you going to stop using their OS?

Everyone has their finger in the federal pie..

[ejpoeta]

34. i am talking about blackwater who have disappeared a whole lot of money

and performed shoddy work yet still get contracts. don't know what you are talking about. i am talking about the priorities of this government. they will deny contracts to people or jobs to people who view these things available online while gladly giving lots of money to contractors like blackwater and halliburton who disappear money and electrocute servicemembers.

[qazplm]

12. I'm in the military, no one has told me anything

now I'm smart enough to not do it for various reasons...and I'm not a big supporter of wikileaks but even if I were, it wouldn't be very wise to look at it.

[LiberalLoner]

13. Might depend where you are, who you are working for.

My husband works at the DoE. He said they received several warnings of this type.

(Everyone in his office is required to have a TS clearance, that might have something to do with it.)

[HipChick]

20. I wonder if people will starting losing jobs

get caught

lose clearance

[LiberalLoner]

27. Oh, sure. Happens all the time (not due to Wiki Leaks I mean, just in general.) n/t

[Hissyspit]

4. Attack on academic freedom.

Job of students to do research.

Cables are already out there, there not going anywhere. Students should STUDY them.

Disgusting.

[HipChick]

5. Students can't access classified material

technically it hasn't been declassifed

[Hissyspit]

7. They can access it all over the place.

Including computers that don't identify them as the user. What about reading news articles? Cable info is IN the news articles.

It's stupid, un-American intimidation and censorship - and I might note INEFFECTIVE - assuming there is any officiality behind it and not just one guy blabbing off.

[EFerrari]

17. The government classification has zip to do with public access

except in the minds of people who slavishly follow authority.

This material is in the public domain and the government has no right to tell you what you can read or not.

[HipChick]

21. BS..there is no public domain for classfied doc's

because it's leaked, doesn't unclassify it..

Executive Order 13526, Section 1.1(4), (C) states “classified information shall not be declassified automatically as a result of any unauthorized disclosure of identical or similar information.”

[EFerrari]

23. And that has zip to do with the public reading it.

[HipChick]

24. I am not talking about the public..

but those people trying to get a clearance..they seek to trip people up unwittingly

[EFerrari]

29. You said students can't access classified material.

This material may well be considered classified by the people it's embarrassing but students can access it all over the place, as has been pointed out to you.

[HipChick]

32. You posted about students seeking federal work who need a clearance

from same people that are going to check whether you belong to any dubious organizations...

[EFerrari]

37. I think you misunderstood me. n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. Most of the cables are not classified.

http://213.251.145.96/cablegate.html

[kestrel91316]

6. People who use Facebook can't get government jobs?? WTF????

Maybe somebody can explain THIS, then?

(well I was going to post a link to OUR PRESIDENT'S Facebook page, but it seems Facebook won't come up on my computer this AM)

[BlueIris]

8. Those doing the threatening should be worried about their own jobs, IMO.

The scare tactics won't work.

[populistdriven]

25. this is overly harsh on obama but im posting it anyways cuz im fucking pissed off

[Catherina]

33. It is not overly harsh. It's the harsh, bitter truth. The peace prize was a joke. n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

36. Happily stealing that pic, if ya don't mind.

[Hissyspit]

11. I can't think of a better learning experience for foreign service students

to learn how to keep stuff SECRET and the new problems with this in the digital age, then for them to look at these cables. An historic event in the history of diplomacy and foreign service and they want to intimidate students and academics and suppress academic freedom. Nice. Classy. Stupid.

How short-sighted and stupid and anti-Ameican (not to mention anti-academic.) But that's what Assange wanted to expose, isn't it?

[bobbolink]

14. Thank the goddess libraries still exist. At least for now.....

[pitohui]

18. at our library you have to provide your name and time of use and computer

again too many people were willing to fall in line and pretend this info was needed to be gathered because of all the "child porn" supposedly out there that needed to be tracked

there is no privacy, they know who you are and what you're doing online

and the younger folks were happy to go along w. the loss of privacy online, hell, DU itself keeps track of this information

you and i are on a list right now just for talking about this right here, i don't doubt it for a minute

[bobbolink]

31. Most libraries have a system for "visitors" to log in without a local library card.

I've been on lists since my dirtyhippiecommiepinkobum days.

:hi:

Hell, I'm on lists right here on DU! :rofl:

[pitohui]

15. i've kind of figured this out on my own

it's pretty scary that these tactics are being used but it's common sense that they know these days what you're reading on the internet and can track you

all that screaming abt the non-existent child porn on the internet was really about this -- to make sure you won't feel safe accessing certain information

i'm sure as heck afraid to click!!!

[Eddie Haskell]

16. Read it and the bogeyman will get you.

I don't want my kids to be taught fear!

[snot]

19. Both ridiculous and outrageous.

[Wednesdays]

22. Is it fascism yet?

nt

[Hoopla Phil]

26. I thought Bush and his regime were no longer in charge???

[Lucian]

30. Looks like I won't be getting a federal job.

I liked WikiLeaks on Facebook.

Oh well.