In order to stop the United States’ war on terror from being spread “in Iraq, in Iran, in North Korea, in the Holy Land, across Africa, Caribbean Drug Sea, the US-Mexican border, and the areas of operations always on alert in DC, Fort Meade and Colorado Springs,” the whistleblower site Cryptome says unnamed third parties plan to release 57,000 to 1.7 million documents obtained by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden sometime this month.
Though Cryptome says it is not publishing the Snowden documents itself, the organization plans to help disseminate the information once it is released.
Given that only a few people are known to have access to the documents Snowden took from the NSA, it is believed that journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras may be involved in the release of the information. However, neither Greenwald, nor Poitras has confirmed or denied any involvement in the July release.
Since the government has blocked media from disclosing some of the leaked information in recent months, citing national security concerns, the documents may not be disclosed through a media outlet. Groups such as Cryptome applaud this, arguing that the government can censor whistleblower information published in news outlets.
Something transparency advocates are particularly excited about regarding the release of these documents is that the documents reportedly contain information that has been described as being powerful enough to prevent a war by creating public distrust toward government and their respective intelligence communities.
Cryptome founder John Young has said that the war that could potentially be stopped by the documents is related to the expansion of the war on terror, but there is no clear indication of how these documents would prevent such a war or which countries would be involved.
The exact date that the documents will be disclosed has not yet been revealed, but Young says July is “the hottest time for political campaigning for patriotism,” since many people are often celebrating America on the Fourth of July. When the release does happen, Cryptome and other organizations calling for transparency in the intelligence community, such as the online hacktivist network Anonymous, say that the release will include all remaining documents in the Snowden-NSA archive.
On Twitter, Cryptome explained that the reason the documents will be released this month is because “July is when war begins unless headed off by Snowden full release of crippling intel. After war begins not a chance of release.”
The organization continued, “Warmongers are on a rampage. So, yes, citizens holding Snowden docs will do the right thing,” before instructing interested members of the public to closely watch what happens at the Hackers On Planet Earth, or HOPE, conference in New York City from July 18-20.
Organized by 2600 magazine, the hacker conference, which has been held annually since 1994, brings hacktivists, whistleblowers, tech experts and freedom of information advocates together to discuss “hacker projects and assorted fun stuff.”
Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times in 1971, will be the keynote speaker at this years HOPE conference. According to the conference’s website, Ellsberg will be delivering the keynote address with an unnamed special guest. Though Cryptome has not yet revealed the identity of the special guest, the organization tweeted that those interested in the Snowden documents should pay special attention to Ellsberg’s speech.
In an email to reporter Eric Markowitz, Young shared that in addition to the anti-spy HOPE conference, the pro-spying Aspen Security Forum will also be held in July. At the latter conference, intelligence agencies and military officials will likely present their cases for why the Snowden releases have set intelligence efforts back.
At the Aspen Security Forum, Young said, one will find a “star-studded list of top military and spy officials, defense industry and mainstream media parading the need to combat the Snowdens and the WikiLeakers who do not understand the necessity of a luxurious and wasteful natsec and spy warmongering.”