Washington: Denouncing the disclosure of its
emails by WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website, as "deplorable
breach of privacy", the US-based intelligence firm Stratfor
cautioned that some of them may be forged or altered to
include inaccuracies.
In a video message to Stratfor subscribers, founder and
CEO, George Friedman said that his resignation email was
forged.
"Emails sent to many people about my resignation were
clearly forged," he said.
Friedman said in December that thieves hacked into
Stratfor data systems and stole a large number of company
emails, as well as private information of Stratfor subscribers
and friends.
"Today WikiLeaks is publishing the emails that were stolen
in December. This is a deplorable, unfortunate -- and illegal
-- breach of privacy," he said.
Friedman said that some of the emails might be forged or
altered to include inaccuracies while some might be authentic.
"We will not validate either, nor will we explain the
thinking that went into them. Having had our property stolen,
we will not be victimised twice by submitting to questions
about them," he said.
The CEO, however, said that the disclosure of these emails
does not mean that there has been another hack of Stratfor`s
computer and data systems.
"Those systems, which we have rebuilt with enhanced
security measures, remain secure and protected," he added.
Meanwhile, Stratfor did not respond to questions sent by
PTI on allegations that it was paid by Dow Chemicals to spy on
activists of Bhopal gas tragedy.
"As we have said before, Stratfor has worked to build good
sources in many countries around the world, as any publisher
of geopolitical analysis would do.
"We are proud of the relationships we have built, which
help our analysts better understand the issues in many of
these countries through the eyes of people who live there,"
Friedman said.
Claiming that emails are private property, he added that
these ones were written casually and they should be read as
such.
PTI
