14 DAY TRIAL // A dozen House Democrats are calling for a congressional investigation into the actions of technology firms HBGary Federal, Berico Technologies and Palantir Technologies, as well as their partner law firm Hunton & Williams.
The probe comes after revelations that the four companies were involved in drafting a plan for Bank of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that proposed illegal actions against WikiLeaks.
Bank of America recently conducted an internal investigation into a possible breach of security that might have resulted in corporate data being leaked to WikiLeaks. The financial institution also expressed interest in ways to minimize the potential impact.
In a bid to secure a consultancy contract in this respect, Hunton & Williams asked its technological partners HBGary, Berico and Palantir to draft a plan that would provide solutions for dealing with the whistleblower organization.
The plan, which went as far as to suggest cyber attacks against the site's infrastructure and putting pressure on pro-WikiLeaks journalists, was leaked after Anonymous hacked into HBGary's systems and walked away with tens of thousands of corporate emails.
According to the Washington Post, a group of House Representatives led by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) wrote a letter saying that leaked HBGary Federal emails appear "to reveal a conspiracy to use subversive techniques to target Chamber critics," and describe "possible illegal actions against citizens engaged in free speech."
They note that the possible use of anti-terrorist tactics against American citizens is deeply troubling and the incident needs to be investigated.
Meanwhile, since the leak occurred, Berico Technologies and Palantir Technologies have both distanced themselves from the anti-WikiLeaks plan and have cut ties with HBGary Federal.
Yesterday, HBGary Federal CEO Aaron Barr announced that he is stepping down from his position in order to focus on rebuilding his reputation and allow the company to move on.