2025-10-19
Disclaimer
Claim: If you leak US classified info and become public while in US, you will almost certainly go to prison
Claim: If you leak US classified info to public, you will almost certainly not be executed
Claim: If you leak US classified info to public, many people in your extended social circle (including relatives, friends, coworkers etc) are likely to isolate from you.
Claim: The primary reason people in your extended social circle will isolate from you is due to social and professional consequences. (And not other reasons such as disagreement with you over whether you should have taken this risk, or whether your act of whistleblowing was morally correct.)
Claim: a) Staying anonymous for over a year after whistleblowing (even if it is possible) leads to increased probability of you losing your immediate family members. b) Probability is significantly increased if they are not informed about your action during this time period.
(+) Daniel Hale stayed not imprisoned for a few years after whistleblowing, he did not have a significant social circle during this time period.
(+) Joshua Schulte stayed not imprisoned for a year after whistleblowing, he probably did not have a significant social circle during this time.
(+) John Kiriakou stayed not imprisoned for 5 years after whistleblowing (did not leak classified documents), he publicly talks about how being shunned by his entire social circle was painful. His wife did not leave him during this time period, however.
(+) Edward Loomis (did not leak classified documents) isolated from immediate family for multiple years to prevent them finding out that he was the source. Kirk Wiebe claims Edward Loomis' divorce with his wife was a result of the leak.
(+) Perry Fellwock has maintained complete secrecy about his family till 2025. Perry Fellwock does claim high levels of mutual distrust and paranoia existed at the media org he ran after the leak, that their co-worker could be working with the CIA.
(-) Terry Albury stayed not imprisoned for almost a year after whistleblowing, his wife and children did not leave him during this time period. Public record confirms his wife was aware of his actions.
(-) Shamai Leibowitz stayed not imprisoned for almost a year after whistleblowing, his wife did not leave him during this time period. (??? did his wife know)
(-) Stephen Jin-Woo Kim stayed not imprisoned for over a year after whistleblowing (did not leak classified documents), his girlfriend (later wife) did not leave him during this time period. (??? did his wife know)
(-) Jeffrey Sterling stayed not imprisoned for many years after whistleblowing, his wife did not leave him during this time period. (??? did his wife know)
(???) Thomas Drake, Mark Klein, Russell Tice, Thomas Tamm, Sibel Edmonds, William Binney, Kirk Wiebe
Claim: If your profile is high attention, you are highly likely to face in-person and online verbal harassment.
(+) Sibel Edmonds ran a political media channel. Unforced choice, faced in-person and online verbal harassment.
(+) Bill Binney publicly commented on 2016 DNC leak. Unforced choice, faced in-person and online verbal harassment. Edward Loomis and Kirk Wiebe who worked with him, do not have same documented evidence of verbal harassment.
(+) Chelsea Manning became a political candidate. Unforced choice, faced in-person and online verbal harassment.
(+) Perry Fellwock ran a political media channel. Unforced choice, faced in-person and online verbal harassment.
(+) Edward Snowden became high attention. Faced online verbal harassment.
(+) Joshua Schulte was moderately high attention due to wikileaks, faced online harassment.
(+) Thomas Drake was high attention, faced in-person and online verbal harassment.
(+) Mark Klein was moderately high attention, faced online verbal harassment.
(+) Thomas Tamm was moderately high attention, faced online verbal harassment. Russell Tice does not have same documented evidence of online verbal harassment, despite them both contributing to the same publications and the US govt treating their cases together.
(- or ???) Reality Winner was moderately high attention, but no documented evidence of online verbal harassment.
(- or ???) Daniel Ellsberg became high attention, not clear if he received harassment from people apart from FBI/CIA agents.
Claim: If your profile is not high attention, you are not very likely yo face in-person and online verbal harassment.
(+ or ???) Daniel Hale, Terry Albury, James Hitselberger, Donald Sachtleben, Shamai Kedem Leibowitz, Samuel Morison, Henry Frese. ALl these people were not high attention, and I could not find documented evidence of them being verbally harassed.
(-) John Kiriakou was not high attention, but faced in-person and online verbal harassment.
(-) Jack Teixeira was not high attention, still his parents faced online harassment.
(-) Stephen Jin-Woo Kim was not high attention, but faced online verbal harassment.
(-) Jeffrey Sterling was not high attention, but faced online verbal harassment.
Unsupported claim: You are more likely to face in-person and online verbal harassment if you go to prison.
Claim: Your mental health practioner can end up revealing your information.
TO DO - complete this section of the database
Unsupported claim: Journalists might not have adequately good opsec to protect your identity, if you have told them your identity
Unsupported claim: Journalists might use information provided by you for purposes different than the ones they got your permission for.
Unsupported claim: Legal expenses are by far your largest financial expense.
Unsupported claim: Requesting public donations for your legal defence has decent success rate.
Unsupported claim: There are perceived downsides to your reputation if you request public donations for your legal defence. These downsides are not significant.
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