ABSTRACT
Public interest leaking has gained tremendous visibility due to WikiLeaks. This chapter focuses on leaking in the public interest. It explains the five common tactics used opponents of whistleblowing: covering up the action; devaluing the target; reinterpreting what happened by lying, minimising the consequences, blaming others or reframing the perspective; using official channels to give an appearance of justice; and intimidating people involved. WikiLeaks remains the most prominent system for anonymous whistleblowing through a web interface. The actions of Anonymous certainly show a willingness to resist, but most members of the public can only be second-hand witnesses to hacking exploits. Edward Snowden, a contractor for the NSA, leaked a massive trove of top secret NSA documents to The Guardian. Public interest leaking has been occurring for decades, but has had far less visibility than conventional non-anonymous whistleblowing because most news stories based on public interest leaking focus on the information, not on the person who has revealed it.
