Distributed Denial of Secrets

Distributed Denial of Secrets
Type of site
Document archive and disclosure
Available inEnglish, but the source documents are in their original language
Founder(s)
IndustryJournalism
URL
CommercialNo[3]
RegistrationNone
LaunchedDecember 3, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-12-03)
Current statusOnline

Distributed Denial of Secrets, abbreviated DDoSecrets, is a nonprofit whistleblower site founded in 2018 for news leaks.[4][5][6][7][8] The site is a frequent source for other news outlets and has worked on investigations including Cyprus Confidential[9][10] with other media organizations.[8][11] In December 2023, the organization said it had published over 100 million files from 59 countries.[12][13][14]

Sometimes called a successor to WikiLeaks,[15][16][17][18][19][20] it came to international attention for its June 2020 publication of internal police documents, known as BlueLeaks. The group has also published data on Russian oligarchs, fascist groups, shell companies, tax havens and banking in the Cayman Islands, as well as data scraped from Parler in January 2021 and from the February 2021 Gab leak. The group is also known for publishing emails from military officials, City Hall in Chicago and the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

The site's leaks have resulted in or contributed to multiple government investigations, including the second impeachment of President Donald Trump.[21][22][23] During the Russo-Ukrainian War, it was considered one of the best public repositories of all the Russian files leaked since the invasion began.[24][25]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :26 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "About". Distributed Denial of Secrets. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "About – Distributed Denial of Secrets". ddosecrets.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Satter, Raphael (December 3, 2018). "Leak site's launch shows dilemma of radical transparency". AP News. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference wired2020-06-22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytimes2019-01-25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Thielman, Sam (February 6, 2019). "A new group devoted to transparency is exposing secrets Wikileaks chose to keep". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :032 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :111 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Germany seizes server hosting pilfered US police files". AP News. July 9, 2020. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  12. ^ Best, Emma (December 3, 2023). "Happy 5th birthday to the leaks library DDoSecrets". Distributed Email of Secrets. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  13. ^ "Five years of Distributed Denial of Secrets and a dangerous automotive vulnerability". CyberScoop. December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Ingram, Mathew. "A leak-hosting site looks to thaw the chill of censorship". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Greenberg, Andy (June 26, 2020). "An Embattled Group of Leakers Picks Up the WikiLeaks Mantle". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  16. ^ Greenberg, Andy (January 6, 2021). "Activists Publish a Vast Trove of Ransomware Victims' Data". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  17. ^ Menn, Joseph (March 26, 2021). "New wave of 'hacktivism' adds twist to cybersecurity woes". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Silverman, Jacob; Haas, Lidija; Haas, Lidija; Smith, Jordan Michael; Smith, Jordan Michael; Segall, Pam; Segall, Pam; Al-Agba, Niran; Al-Agba, Niran (August 18, 2021). "The New WikiLeaks". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  19. ^ "Distributed Denial of Secrets is picking up where WikiLeaks left off". Mic. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Faife, Corin (April 22, 2022). "They've leaked terabytes of Russian emails, but who's reading?". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  21. ^ "A socialist 'hacktivist' has helped expose the platform used by both US rioters and UK government ministers | The Canary". www.thecanary.co. January 23, 2021. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  22. ^ "Tax authorities investigate new leaks incriminating Belgians". The Brussels Times. December 22, 2019. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  23. ^ "Videos used as evidence in impeachment trial gathered by anonymous 'hacktivist'". The Independent. February 11, 2021. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  24. ^ "Hackers flood internet with what they say are Russian companies' files". NBC News. April 5, 2022. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  25. ^ "How DDoSecrets built the go-to home for Russian leaks". therecord.media. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.