WikiLeaks steals, publishes e-mails from US think tank

The latest notch in WikiLeaks's bedpost appears to the Stratfor, an intelligence analysis firm that has provided reports on everything from politics and economics to military issues. The company offers a subscription-based service to offer this information to risk managers, and in its line of work has gotten its hands on a lot of information that should be confidential.

And of course we all know that's exactly the kind of thing WikiLeaks likes to get its hands on. The group announced that it has begun publishing e-mails obtained from Stratfor, and it can continue to do so for quite a while. It said it has collected more than five million e-mail exchanges. WikiLeaks is collaborating with dozens of international media groups to distribute the pilfered correspondences.

Stratfor issued a statement today, calling WikiLeaks's actions "a deplorable, unfortunate — and illegal — breach of privacy." The company said the messages that were stolen were the same ones that WikiLeaks already managed to gain access to during the Christmas season. Details that remain unclear are how WikiLeaks got access to the private e-mails, and what the extent is of the information they contained.

[via USA Today]