John Young's Cryptome— an online repository for publicly available information — has long been on my short list of essential 'Net bookmarks. The site archives "material on freedom of expression, privacy, cryptology, dual-use technologies, national security, intelligence, and secret governance — open, secret and classified documents," among other things. This ABC News story details a recent incident in which Department of Homeland Security officials paid Young a visit, expressing concern about some of the content he'd posted online. It's not the first time he's been visited by federal authorities over that issue, and I'd wager it won't be the last.
Officials questioned Young about information he had posted about the 2004 Democratic National Convention, including satellite photos of the convention site and the location of specific police barricades referred to on the site as "a complete joke." In response to a complaint, two special agents from the FBI's counterterrorism office in New York City interviewed Young in November 2003. "They said, 'Why didn't you call us about this? Why are you telling the public?' And we said, 'Because it's out there and you can see it. You folks weren't doing anything,' " Young told ABC News.
The agents, according to Young, stressed they knew that nothing on the site was illegal. Young added: "They said, 'What we'd like you to do, if you're approached by anyone that you think intends to harm the United States, we're asking you to let us know that.' "
Link to news story, and did you know Cryptome is also served up in tasty RSS flavor? (via Joi)
