WikiLeaks Leaves Amazon As Site Availability Remains Spotty

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc. forced WikiLeaks to stop using the U.S. company's computers to distribute embarrassing State Department communications and other documents, WikiLeaks said Wednesday.

The ouster came after congressional staff questioned Amazon about its relationship with WikiLeaks, said Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut.

WikiLeaks confirmed it hours after The Associated Press reported that Amazon's servers had stopped hosting WikiLeaks' site. The site was unavailable for several hours before it moved back to its previous Swedish host, Bahnhof AB.

WikiLeaks released a trove of sensitive diplomatic documents on Sunday. Just before the release, its website came under an Internet-based attack that made it unavailable for hours at a time.

WikiLeaks reacted by moving the website from computers in Sweden to those of Amazon Web Services. Amazon has vast banks of computers that can be rented on a self-service basis to meet surges in traffic.

But that move exposed WikiLeaks to legal and political pressure.

"WikiLeaks servers at Amazon ousted. Free speech the land of the free--fine our $ are now spent to employ people in Europe," the organization said Wednesday in a posting on the Twitter messaging service.

"If Amazon are so uncomfortable with the first amendment, they should get out of the business of selling books," WikiLeaks said in another tweet.

Seattle-based Amazon.com would not comment on its relationship with WikiLeaks.

"The company's decision to cut off WikiLeaks now is the right decision and should set the standard for other companies WikiLeaks is using to distribute its illegally seized material," Lieberman said in a statement. He added that he would have further questions for Amazon about the affair.

As an organization, WikiLeaks has no firm geographic base, but founder Julian Assange sought to establish residency in Sweden to take advantage of laws protecting those who funnel information to the media. However, authorities rejected his application for a residency permit.

Swedish police are now seeking to arrest Australian-born Assange based on allegations of sexual assault stemming from his stay in the country. Assange has denied the charges.

Swedish police issued an international arrest warrant on Wednesday, though they haven't filed formal charges. Assange's whereabouts are unknown.

___

AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Comments

[tompoe]

01:16 PM on 12/04/2010

Lieberman, the champion of censorship, has questions. Beautiful. Not a peep about the issues raised by the cables. Perfect. Lieberman is truly a champion of secrecy, the overthrow of our government from within, and blatantly stepping forward to champion censorship, by threatening Amazon, who has a contract to provide use of their servers on a self-serve basis with WikiLeaks. Amazon, who risked what? Their contract specifically addresses issues that otherwise put it at risk. Yet, knowing that, they hide from their commitment to further our First Amendment. What mess there is, comes from Lieberman's twisted view of our country. Worse, he has a staff that supports him.

[Steelsil]

01:42 PM on 12/03/2010

Wikileaks is alive and well.  Just cut and paste this number in your URL bar to go to Wikileaks:  46.59.1.2

[peter2010]

03:31 AM on 12/03/2010

I am completely opposed to what the online seller Amazon.com has done. Their actions show the extent to which businesses corporations partner up with corrupt governments and political parties for their own 'survival' and 'growth.' The view of Amazon seems to be: "Freedom of speech, freedom of expression - what the heck are those? As long as I make money and my board members can send their kids to posh boarding schools and our families can live in fancy homes (and own more than one), own fancy cars, and take vacations in fancy destinations, who cares which individuals I have to sell out for the sake of profit. Its not about doing the right thing, but about what I get out of it!"

Well good luck, Amazon - your true corporate, money sucking face has been revealed to the public. But you know what buddy - this poor insignificant individual who you think is a nobody IS who made you rich in the first place. Well not anymore, 'mate.' We made you rich, we can also make you poor. From now on, me and family are NOT going to buy anything from Amazon.com or any of the European Amazon websites. I've been a fool to have patronized your services for such a long time - but not anymore, not anymore! The day you sold out freedom of speech and expression for political and financial gains, you lost a few customers, and you'll keep losing more..

[songoftherushes]

05:11 AM on 12/03/2010

Great. I hope you wrote to Amazon explaining why you closed your account.

[georgecarlin1776]

09:46 PM on 12/02/2010

BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT!

[Bill Bushing]

12:37 PM on 12/02/2010

What would Lieberman know about making "the right decision?"

[Healy]

12:27 PM on 12/02/2010

As of this morning I have cancelled my account with Amazon and will never purchase another thing from them. The issue here is twofold: cowardice and censorship, both of which only cater to the designs of the ever-increasing forces of tyranny that are becoming more and more bold in our collective face. As such, I have taken this step as a matter of principle and encourage others to stand up as well. WikiLeaks performs a much needed service in a world filled with corruption and deceit among governments and corporate-controlled media empires. Because we can no longer fully trust journalists or news organizations to properly inform the public, we must do whatever it is we can to ensure that speaking truth to power is encouraged and supported at all costs.

Robert Healy

[curmudgeon98]

12:14 PM on 12/02/2010

Phony Charges against Assage - handled in highly controversial manner

US company coerced by the government. Wonder what the threat was for Amazon to knuckle under in very uncharacteristic manner - even for them.

Talk about 'shooting the messenger'! ! and the guv would if it could - bet on it.

[jmzf]

12:05 PM on 12/02/2010

Glad I did not order Xmas presents yet. Usually buy them ALL from Amazon.com. Now I will order NONE from Amazon.com.

[fedupwithpolitics]

11:46 AM on 12/02/2010

As Wikileaks shows, Clinton ordered US diplomats to commit identity theft. She signed the "National Humint Collection Directive,” active since July 31, 2009, which directed State Dept. diplomats to spy on foreign diplomats at the UN and to collect information about their e-mail accounts, personal credit cards, frequent flyer customer numbers, telephone accounts, passwords, fingerprints, passport photos and iris scans. Hillary has clearly been watching too many James Bond films.

[Steelsil]

01:49 PM on 12/03/2010

I don't equate what Hillary said with identity theft.  They probably want to track diplomats and gather  information, not pretend to be them.

[disgustedwithall]

11:27 AM on 12/02/2010

Mr A, watch out, it is one thing to out the USA on AFG.Iraq, Obama's admin protecting Bush etc, and State Dept messing about, but now you have threatened the owners of USA, the bankers and probably ties to WS.

That is not to be tolorated and the money has shadow government titles/ownership across the globe, as in the darker ages of the world, you shall not offend the rulers and their one god, money. For threatening the holy alter of greed and power, they will in one way or other get you. But we thank you for at least putting out some efforts,

Kind of reminds many of the older folks of the days of E Murrow and other such real journalists whom took on Sen Mac the "Commie getter" (Regan-Nixon were also involved) or the courageous kids of the Ivy Leagues and others, despite dangers, went south to stop the hate/ignorant. We had a USA that had backbone, but then "pro players" were paid wages like rest of us and not awarded national gladiator privileges-pay.

Yep, way back when USA was a respected intelligent nation that when presented with facts that indicated a change in course, we did it, even the elected then did what was good for the nation, then the party, yep the old days when few worshipful, prayed to congress for making idol of greed and power mongering national religion, media kept officials nervous all the time, on both sides.

[fedupwithpolitics]

11:05 AM on 12/02/2010

Shame on Amazon--they sell books and support censorship!

[disgustedwithall]

11:30 AM on 12/02/2010

Now we can see why they are planning to build huge distribution centers in TN, after all TN is home of the KKK and ranks at bottom for most measurable social items

[pirsqard]

11:05 AM on 12/02/2010

As far as I'm concerned, Julian Assange is a hero. Don't be surprised now if "Free Internet" becomes a thing of the past, very quickly. An " internet security or terrorist crisis" will be created, and the internet taken control of "for our best interests and security." When Lincoln abolished slavery the GDP of America immediately declined. With ownership of humans illegal, the Federal Reserve was shortly thereafter created. Ever since Americans have been born into a matrix of fiscal enslavement, along with the steady calculated deterioration of our constitutional rights. To the powers behind this insidious movement you are nothing more than a cow in a field eating their crap and sh**ting out their profits. They could careless about the quality of your life. American democracy is very near its end. What is astonishing is that while our roof is engulfed in flame, we continue to sit on the couch and watch tv. Whether you approve of how this material was attained or not, this stuff is real.

[gmb007]

12:20 PM on 12/02/2010

Brilliant post. :)

fanned

[advocatusdiaboli]

12:39 PM on 12/02/2010

Great post. the cow analogy is so fall-of-Rome-esque and right on--our Coliseum is TV and the infotainment wall-garden internet.

[greatbubba]

10:51 AM on 12/02/2010

Yulp I wont buy from Amazon again....Will take my business to Ebay...

No company should ever bow down to a puppet politician.

[pirsqard]

11:08 AM on 12/02/2010

And that is really the only true vote Americans still have: that of a consumer. An organized American consumer, working together, can evaporate the largest of corporations instantly bu simply not doing any business with them.

[Y3rMawm]

10:35 AM on 12/02/2010

Yup. Amazon showed them. Shut W/L down for what, a whole 10 minutes?

Ah they beauty, and sheer power of freedom of association.

[steamboat]

10:20 AM on 12/02/2010

Why did they wait so long? We've already been exposed. The derogatory nickname for world leaders, sharing of information, classified documents, Hillary spying on diplomats and American citizens. The inexperience and arrogance of the Obama Administration has already been exposed for the world to see.

[disgustedwithall]

11:35 AM on 12/02/2010

The memo from DC got misplaced and their delay in doing as told, for tax or something no doubt, probably resulted in phone calls on subject of "National ("MY) Security" from all of NE shadow and elected governments. Most forget, this guy is messing about with release on USA Bankers, he is in effect, threatening the home of the gods and the gods, or let's say, he is messing about with exalted vaulted and their lackey's in DC...