Who's Googling WikiLeaks The Most? (PICTURES)

Our attention has been riveted on everything and anything WikiLeaks.

And why not? It's been one compelling, drama-filled event after another: first the contents of the cables themselves--littered with colorful diplomatic name calling, among other revelations--followed by the manhunt for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a condom mishap, then a slew of cyber attacks targeted a big name brands like MasterCard, Visa, and Amazon.

It seems, based on the number of Google searches, that there is one part of the United States that's been watching particularly closely.

According to to Google Insights, which shows search patterns, Virginia has been Googling "WikiLeaks" more than any other state in the U.S.

Interestingly, those searches appear to be emanating from a very specific part of Virginia: an area that includes Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, and Washington, which are home to a cluster of intelligence and defense agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency.

See what Google brings to light in the screenshots below.

h/t Jim B, Reddit's Tubbubbles

Comments

[dezmo]

08:32 AM on 12/15/2010

Where do you think all the cyber attacks on Wikileaks would be coming from?

[Cynth]

01:23 PM on 12/14/2010

Interesting that the searches tend to be areas where there is a higher concentration of government agencies and contractors, higher education institutions, and more educated citizenry. The way they are searching via Google could be more telling, too -- are they searching within the Wikileaks domain or just open web content? What terms are they using?

[Subway]

12:23 PM on 12/14/2010

When they're not downloading porn...

[ERN13962]

12:42 PM on 12/14/2010

Excellent Point!!!

[darkmark]

12:14 PM on 12/14/2010

for us embassy cables:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cables-wikileaks

the guardian has been a good source for updates on assange in england but what's happening to manning?

[CamBrown99]

11:54 AM on 12/14/2010

Dick Cheney also lives in that vicinity. Hmmm….

[Broughden]

11:30 AM on 12/14/2010

CIA.........BUSTED

[Jacobite1789]

12:02 PM on 12/14/2010

funny but not a likely story. Only a few computers in the Langley HQ have access to the Internet, all sensitive material can only be accessed on dumb client machines that have no storage capability and access only to a local intranet. Plus Langley would show up as Fairfax or McLean in the amount of IPs pinging the search. If Langley were to get the information, which they likely have, someone would have downloaded the entire release and disseminated it internally, only representing 1 search, if they used google at all. Most likely someone there would have been smart enough just to go to the wikileaks website.

[TalkingOutLoud]

12:24 PM on 12/14/2010

Agree with Jacobite1789; however, I'm thinking it's all the guilt SOB's living and working in government. Hey, when you know you've written some of those reports, been mentioned in those documents; wouldn't you want to keep searching for your name, don't want to be embarrassed in front of your friends, family, and the world. It's government activity to be sure...

[denvergoat]

11:21 AM on 12/14/2010

Well there is it: Cyberwar is finally out in the open. Sort of like when HTML first came out and everybody and his brother was opening a web page "shop." Now the language is about trying to bring down this or that (it's not hard). Now you a million amateur hack a day. What is so great about it? Like the web was in the 1990's cyberwar and small ops are moving down to lower ranks. It will not be long before, average American citizens wizards (like ol' Jester) will take on pan-national hack armies supported by various anti-American (code for anti-freedom) Governments. O boy is that gonna be fun I am so, so, ready that one, cause the old colonial minuteman citizen cyber-warrior is wired-up to the gills.
bring it,
denvergoat

[henrydeluxe]

11:10 AM on 12/14/2010

It seems that most of the red states don't even bother to know - they are just waiting to be told what this means and they should react.

[Jacobite1789]

11:48 AM on 12/14/2010

Last time I checked Virginia is a red state and if you look at the color key the interest is about 40% or above for the whole nation. The graphics are misleading, but if you pay close enough attention white = 0%, I see nothing close to white in any state.

[henrydeluxe]

01:01 PM on 12/14/2010

The intelligence services looking at it from Virginia, is not the same as the citizens of those states who seem to take it all on faith.

[Mikeystyle]

10:38 AM on 12/14/2010

In an effort to protect itself from attacks by American conservatives, the media website WikiLeaks announced Friday that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby has been hired as a consultant and spokesman for the organization.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks editor, said via Skype from an unknown location that Libby would primarily serve as a communications consultant and spokesman in the U.S., which he hoped would placate those on the American right.

“Scooter Libby revealed classified information and put a covert CIA operative at risk as part of a political attack, yet Republicans rallied to his cause. He even got a ‘get out of jail free card’ from President Bush,” Assange said. “I can’t think of anyone better suited to represent our organization, which also reveals classified information. Since American conservatives don’t have a problem with one of their own breaking the law, perhaps Mr. Libby can help shield us from some of these attacks.”

(continued….)

http://www.thechicagodope.com/2010/12/03/scooter-libby-hired-by-wikileaks/

[neige]

11:09 AM on 12/14/2010

LOL..That would be a good Onion story. Oh wait, forget that...that would be a good Fox News story.

[strangiato]

10:24 AM on 12/14/2010

Looks like the only web surfers that are curious to learn about government corruption are the government employees. For the rest of us - it's pretty old news...

[furby4]

11:16 AM on 12/14/2010

Tells you how many of our public servants are worried they might be in there somewhere.

[GraniteSkyline]

12:05 PM on 12/14/2010

The government employees are probably furiously looking for their names in the leaks.

[Nicon]

10:24 AM on 12/14/2010

sad to know the CIA needs google to tell them just how screwed they are.

[RRK70]

11:24 AM on 12/14/2010

doubt the CIA has much leaked info, to date it's been Pentagon and State Department.  CIA is better at containing info, I doubt they would have computers with CD burners that were available to just anyone.

[Jacobite1789]

11:58 AM on 12/14/2010

RRK70, You are right but, the CIA is not worried about what they leaked because they leaked nothing. They are concerned about seeing what other departments have leaked and converting it to actionable intelligence. Anybody who thinks the State Department shares info with the CIA is mistaken. Their headquarters are in Langley (Fairfax area), which on the regional map would be significant enough to garner their own bubble, but they don't so Nicon is mistaken. He probably has read to many Tom Clancy books and thinks the CIA is in DC or Alexandria. Also, the article is about google searches, since there is no way to hide an IP ping it would have been reported if large amounts of searches were coming from Langley. Plus, the CIA uses dumb client computers, they have no front end so info cannot be taken off.

[beingthebest]

10:12 AM on 12/14/2010

I would like to see the stats worldwide

[OliverTwist]

10:07 AM on 12/14/2010

Nice work.

[Shzz Mack]

09:54 AM on 12/14/2010

No surprise there. These guys are getting paid to search for the info (by us), unlike all you cubicle rats who should be WORKING...

[GraniteSkyline]

12:06 PM on 12/14/2010

Ok, Lumberg.

[one1byke]

09:49 AM on 12/14/2010

America LOVES a maverick!