Irishleaks

Selkies

New Irish whistleblower website just started.

http://www.irishleaks.ie

reverenddave

you should post it here too
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

Selkies

reverenddave wrote: »

you should post it here too
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

lol, I'll just leave it here thanks

Wolfe Tone

Thats cool, but no word on who or what group is running it, ie do they have an agenda. Thats the trouble with groups like this, they could selectively release materials to further said agenda and not out of a desire for transparency.


Looks promising however! Bookmarked.

nyarlothothep

its just a front for the government to keep an eye on dissidents

Dionysus

Selkies wrote: »

New Irish whistleblower website just started.

http://www.irishleaks.ie

We did of course have a well-funded organisation, Centre for Public Enquiry, investigating state contracts and so forth not so long ago. The Minister for Justice of the day, Michael McDowell, didn't like it so orchestrated a media campaign in Independent Newspapers to close it down.

Such an organisation is what this society badly needs.

Selkies

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Thats cool, but no word on who or what group is running it, ie do they have an agenda. Thats the trouble with groups like this, they could selectively release materials to further said agenda and not out of a desire for transparency.


Looks promising however! Bookmarked.

You can just domain whois to get the name of the founder, which is me btw.

Someone volunteered to change the wording on the site so I will add that to the list of things that need to go in.

nyarlothothep wrote: »

its just a front for the government to keep an eye on dissidents

I assure you I don't work for the government.
Also, I think you seriously overestimate their competency
Hopefully I will be able to change your mind once the site goes fully live and I start publishing leaks.

Dionysus wrote: »

We did of course have a well-funded organisation, Centre for Public Enquiry, investigating state contracts and so forth not so long ago. The Minister for Justice of the day, Michael McDowell, didn't like it so orchestrated a media campaign in Independent Newspapers to close it down.

Such an organisation is what this society badly needs.

I agree completely!

oppenheimer1

[QUOTE=Selkies;71545981]You can just domain whois to get the name of the founder, which is me btw.

Someone volunteered to change the wording on the site so I will add that to the list of things that need to go in.


I assure you I don't work for the government.
Also, I think you seriously overestimate their competency
Hopefully I will be able to change your mind once the site goes fully live and I start publishing leaks.


I agree completely! [/QUOTE]

Isn't advertising and site pimping prohibited around these parts?

I hope you're not located in Ireland because such a site would not be able to survive our libel laws. The threat of libel is what keeps these sites down.

southsiderosie

Dionysus wrote: »

We did of course have a well-funded organisation, Centre for Public Enquiry, investigating state contracts and so forth not so long ago. The Minister for Justice of the day, Michael McDowell, didn't like it so orchestrated a media campaign in Independent Newspapers to close it down.

Such an organisation is what this society badly needs.

It also needs stronger open records laws. Lack of access is a MUCH bigger problem than lack of funding for watchdog groups.

RachaelVO

Selkies wrote: »

New Irish whistleblower website just started.

http://www.irishleaks.ie

That's class, looking forward to checking back to see what's been posted... I just liked it on FB and Twitter too, so hopefully help spread the word!!! Great idea, superb infact!!!!

Selkies

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Isn't advertising and site pimping prohibited around these parts?

I don't really think this qualifies as a spam thread. You'd probably have to ask a mod though.

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I hope you're not located in Ireland because such a site would not be able to survive our libel laws. The threat of libel is what keeps these sites down.

I am actually located in Ireland and yes that is a major concern which I'm currently trying to fix before the release date of May 1st.

southsiderosie wrote: »

It also needs stronger open records laws. Lack of access is a MUCH bigger problem than lack of funding for watchdog groups.

It would also be nice if you could get access without having to pay for it!

RachaelVO wrote: »

That's class, looking forward to checking back to see what's been posted... I just liked it on FB and Twitter too, so hopefully help spread the word!!! Great idea, superb infact!!!!

thanks muchly, although I just replaced wiki with irish thus far :P

RachaelVO

Selkies wrote: »

thanks muchly, although I just replaced wiki with irish thus far :P

It's the concept I love, it's about time they all started sh1tting bricks.

Wolfe Tone

There could be legal issues for the OP though couldnt there?

Nodin

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

There could be legal issues for the OP though couldnt there?

...ever so slightly.

hardCopy

Nodin wrote: »

...ever so slightly.

If his sources give him the documentation to back up any claims then he may be ok.

RobbieTheRobber

hardCopy wrote: »

If his sources give him the documentation to back up any claims then he may be ok.

Thsoe people would be guilty of breaching the official secrets act and would face prosecution themselves as would the OP for recieving official documents knowing they should not have been disclosed.

Disclosure of official information.
4.—(1) A person shall not communicate any official information to any other person unless he is duly authorised to do so or does so in the course of and in accordance with his duties as the holder of a public office or when it is his duty in the interest of the State to communicate it.

(2) A person to whom subsection (1) applies shall take reasonable care to avoid any unlawful communication of such information.

(3) A person shall not obtain official information where he is aware or has reasonable grounds for believing that the communication of such information to him would be a contravention of subsection (1).

(4) In this section “duly authorised” means authorised by a Minister or State authority or by some person authorised in that behalf by a Minister or State authority.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1963/en/act/pub/0001/print.html

hardCopy

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Thsoe people would be guilty of breaching the official secrets act and would face prosecution themselves as would the OP for recieving official documents knowing they should not have been disclosed.




http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1963/en/act/pub/0001/print.html

Thanks, I had thought he might have been able to refuse to disclose his source, but that looks like he'd be guilty of a crime himself under section 3.

We really need whistleblower laws in this country.

hatrickpatrick

hardCopy wrote: »

Thanks, I had thought he might have been able to refuse to disclose his source, but that looks like he'd be guilty of a crime himself under section 3.

We really need whistleblower laws in this country.

If this uses the same concepts as Wikileaks then it won't matter, the idea is that when you submit a document, the website server itself literally keep absolutely no information whatsoever about your identity, your IP address, location, whatever.

This protects sources absolutely by simply making it altogether physically impossible for the administrators of the website to have any clue as to the identity of the source. I don't quite know how courts would deal with this but whatever happens they simply won't be able to get a source since to all intents and purposes, it doesn't exist.

Also why do I get a vibe in this topic that people are opposed? SURELY everyone realizes by now how badly we need absolute transparency when it comes to our so-called "representatives" dealings behind doors which should never be closed in the first place?

Nodin

I'm not oppossed at all, at all. I just can't see it working. Then again, not being a lawyer I could be entirely wrong (happily, in this case).

RobbieTheRobber

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

If this uses the same concepts as Wikileaks then it won't matter, the idea is that when you submit a document, the website server itself literally keep absolutely no information whatsoever about your identity, your IP address, location, whatever.

This protects sources absolutely by simply making it altogether physically impossible for the administrators of the website to have any clue as to the identity of the source. I don't quite know how courts would deal with this but whatever happens they simply won't be able to get a source since to all intents and purposes, it doesn't exist.

Also why do I get a vibe in this topic that people are opposed? SURELY everyone realizes by now how badly we need absolute transparency when it comes to our so-called "representatives" dealings behind doors which should never be closed in the first place?

Im not oppossed either i was just pointing out the relevant legislation in the area.

Also depending on the information leaked it may be easy to track it back to the source of the leak using logs of government systems.

Absolute transperancy isnt always in the best interests of a nation.

I would ride myself cos im a sexy man

[Embedded Image Removed]



We know all your secrets.

humanji

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Thsoe people would be guilty of breaching the official secrets act and would face prosecution themselves as would the OP for recieving official documents knowing they should not have been disclosed.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1963/en/act/pub/0001/print.html

I'm just pulling at straws here, but could they argue that the last part of section 1 applies:

4.—(1) A person shall not communicate any official information to any other person unless he is duly authorised to do so or does so in the course of and in accordance with his duties as the holder of a public office or when it is his duty in the interest of the State to communicate it.

ie claiming it's in the national interest to expose "x" bit of information?

Selkies

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Thsoe people would be guilty of breaching the official secrets act and would face prosecution themselves as would the OP for recieving official documents knowing they should not have been disclosed.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1963/en/act/pub/0001/print.html

I have nor will I not seek to obtain document that is covered under the official secrets act.
However if one is submitted through the submission system it will be read by Irishleaks volunteers. If there is an abuse of power contained within that document then I will be bound my duty to our country and to the person who took tremendous risk in sending it to publish the document.
It's not a course of action I will take lightly as I'd rather that Irishleaks focused on things that won't get me put in jail.

I have a perhaps naïve hope that there is nothing in the documents covered under Irish secrecy laws that constitutes an abuse of power so serious that someone would risk jail time to send it to us.

What I imagine we'll get is like 90% conspiracy theories and other things widely available on the internet, a few corrupt business practices covered by NDAs, possibly something related to the sex abuse scandal in the church and maybe some political corruption.

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Im not oppossed either i was just pointing out the relevant legislation in the area.

Ta

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Also depending on the information leaked it may be easy to track it back to the source of the leak using logs of government systems.

That is something we've considered.
We can inform the submitter of this fact and then we can make every effort to remove any identifying information.

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Absolute transperancy isnt always in the best interests of a nation.

I have to agree with you there.
Which is why the site unlike Wikileaks is restricted to abuses of power.

Selkies

humanji wrote: »

I'm just pulling at straws here, but could they argue that the last part of section 1 applies:



ie claiming it's in the national interest to expose "x" bit of information?

I'd be more interested in the definition of obtain it. I mean it wouldn't be a crime to obtain something if you obtained it unintentionally.

If someone sends that in the document drop box then it would be read and if there is an abuse of power then it would be time to consult a lawyer I imagine.

If someone contacts us directly then we will have to explain to them all the rules around leaking such documents.
However I'm pretty sure there is no law against providing a means to transmit documents to a public official if that is what the source is looking for, may be more in their legal interests as well as ours. The decision would be entirely up to the source as to what to do.
We really have very little control over what or whether they leak. All we can do is just help.

Dammer

How about some documents gathered under the FOI act? Surely they can be published.

Some of our mainstream media are not as independent as we would like... You know who I'm talking about... Cough RTE pravda Cough cough Newstalk...

Nehaxak

Host your site in Iceland, they're enacting laws which will protect such from outside influence or interference.

Commendable to set something like this up but you'll be ripped to pieces by the state for it if anything is published that puts them under a bad light in any way, particular so now that FG are in government, as if FF weren't bad enough.

Selkies

Nehaxak wrote: »

Host your site in Iceland, they're enacting laws which will protect such from outside influence or interference.

Commendable to set something like this up but you'll be ripped to pieces by the state for it if anything is published that puts them under a bad light in any way, particular so now that FG are in government, as if FF weren't bad enough.

Yes those laws are not yet in place unfortunately.

StupidLikeAFox

Have you got any submissions yet?

Selkies

ColHol wrote: »

Have you got any submissions yet?

Submission system doesn't launch till may the first

Selkies

Chat is up https://irc.irishleaks.ie

NeitherJohn

Site down for anyone?

RachaelVO

NeitherJohn wrote: »

Site down for anyone?

Nope, can access it perfectly. It's got all the recordings that are discussed in this news article http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/eyidsncwsn/

Not all the recordings aren't great, but if you do get on, they do make for interesting listening!

Selkies

NeitherJohn wrote: »

Site down for anyone?

Working for me too http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/irishleaks.ie

Are you on an eircom line?

NeitherJohn

I'm in college at the moment. But using eircoms DNS servers. I have eircom at home though. I'll switch to OpenDNS and see does it work.

Is there an issue with Irishleaks and eircom?

Selkies

NeitherJohn wrote: »

I'm in college at the moment. But using eircoms DNS servers. I have eircom at home though. I'll switch to OpenDNS and see does it work.

Is there an issue with Irishleaks and eircom?

They are hosted with PRQ, which is owned by the pirate bay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRQ

JBnaglfar

Selkies wrote: »

Working for me too http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/irishleaks.ie

Are you on an eircom line?

Just tried going to the site and I can't access it. Went to your link, and it says the site seems to be down for everyone. Can anyone still access it? I'm not on an eircom line, I'm with UPC.

Sully

Not working for me either, using UTV.

niallers1

Page will not load for me either...

RachaelVO

Seems to be down alright, but on their FB page they did say that they were looking to raise money to have it securely hosted etc;

That was yesterday, so could be something to do with that!

liah

If you want a non-Irish backup host (I wouldn't charge ya), drop me a PM; I've a North American hosting plan with unlimited space that wouldn't fall under Ireland's laws.

Son Of A Vidic

How 'Irish' is that? You can't load it or find it.

Kippure

Still not working. DAMN!

Noreen1

Not working for me, either.

dlofnep

Down here for me too.

RachaelVO

Just posted on their Facebook page they've had a hardware failure and that they hope to be up and running soon

https://www.facebook.com/irishleaks

Boroimhe

I can't load the webpage dude.

Excellent idea, let us know if there is any way we can help (besides spreading the word which I'm sure we all will regardless)

Fighting Irish

Site won't load

RachaelVO

Fighting Irish wrote: »

Site won't load

Boroimhe wrote: »

I can't load the webpage dude.

Excellent idea, let us know if there is any way we can help (besides spreading the word which I'm sure we all will regardless)

having hardware problem,
https://www.facebook.com/irishleaks

DJCR

Still Down

Phier

Back up (finally).