14 DAY TRIAL // Palantir Technologies, a software company linked to a recently leaked document proposing attacks against WikiLeaks, has cut all ties with HBGary and apologized for its involvement.
The recent hacking into HBGary Federal's servers by Anonymous, which resulted in the leaking of tens of thousands of confidential corporate emails, is shinning a bad light on other companies as well.
The Tech Herald reported that the leaked data included a presentation describing methods of dealing with "The WikiLeaks Threat," prepared by Palantir Technologies, HBGary Federal and Berico Technologies for Bank of America.
The proposed anti-WikiLeaks actions included discrediting the whistleblower organization by submitting fake documents and then calling out the errors, raising concerns over the security of its infrastructure and launching media campaigns to portray its actions as reckless.
In addition, the document claimed "cyber attacks against the infrastructure to get data on document submitters" could effectively kill the project.
After the news broke out, Dr. Alex Karp, the co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, issued a public statement apologizing for the company's involvement.
"The right to free speech and the right to privacy are critical to a flourishing democracy. From its inception, Palantir Technologies has supported these ideals and demonstrated a commitment to building software that protects privacy and civil liberties," he said.
"Furthermore, personally and on behalf of the entire company, I want to publicly apologize to progressive organizations in general, and Mr. Greenwald in particular, for any involvement that we may have had in these matters," Dr. Karp added.
Salon columnist Glenn Greenwald and his favorable views on WikiLeaks made the subject one of the slides which said that "this level of support needs to be disrupted."
Dr. Karp also noted that he directed his company to sever all contacts with HBGary and so did Berico Technologies' co-founders, Guy Filippelli and Nick Hallam, who in a separate statement called the type of actions proposed in the presentation as reprehensible.
Berico Technologies is currently conducting an internal investigation to determine who in the company was responsible for working on it and promises to take appropriate actions.