Leaking of highly sensitive US papers in online chat groups leads to panic in the government

The US government is in panic mode after highly sensitive papers were leaked in an online chat group, leading the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee to call for limitations on access to the government’s closest secrets. The leaked documents were posted on Discord by a member known as OG, who worked on a military base and was later identified as a US Air National Guardsman. The leak is considered the most serious US security breach since the WikiLeaks scandal in 2010, which saw over 700,000 classified documents, videos, and diplomatic cables leaked online.

Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, has spoken out about the issue, stating that too many people have access to classified documents. He suggested that a central entity be created to oversee the classification process, and that the number of people who have access to such documents should be limited. President Joe Biden’s administration is also considering how sensitive intelligence should be handled and looking for ways to prevent future leaks. Warner’s influential position gives weight to his recommendations.

Warner explained that the current situation needs to be addressed, as there are numerous intelligence-gathering entities in the country. He suggested that someone should be fully in charge of the whole classification process and that there should be a smaller universe of people who have access to classified documents. He gave the example of the National Security Agency, which has suffered leaks in the past and now has internal controls to limit the copying of documents. Warner also suggested that not everyone handling a document needs to see the whole document, and that just seeing the header could be enough.

The leaked papers carried information about a range of issues, including the Ukraine war, South Korea’s position on providing weapons to Kyiv, China’s preparation to deploy supersonic drones, and more. They were evidence that the US has been spying on its allies, potentially damaging relationships with them. The Pentagon has called the leak a ‘deliberate, criminal act.’

The person responsible for the leak, Jack Teixeira, is reportedly a young, charismatic gun enthusiast who posted the documents in a chatroom for gamers called Thug Shaker Central on Discord. He had previously posted documents with strange acronyms and jargon that were largely ignored by the group.