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In 2011, Palantir and HBGary Federal drafted an attack plan targeting WikiLeaks on behalf of Bank of America, according to a post by the Julian Assange-founded organization on X.
Palantir spied on WikiLeaks’ servers, staff, and allies — tracking server migrations across the US and Europe.
They advocated a rapid assault on WikiLeaks, touting their expertise in cybersecurity, insider threats, targeting analysis, and social media manipulation.
Proposed tactics included:
Fuel infighting: sow discord among WikiLeaks supporters.
Spread disinformation: submit fake documents to WikiLeaks, then publicly expose the error.
Undermine infrastructure confidence: plant stories questioning system security.
Launch cyberattacks: unmask sources and document submitters.
Discredit WikiLeaks: launch campaigns to paint the platform as «radical and reckless» to erode public trust.
Discredit employees: social media profiling.
Isolate WikiLeaks by cutting ties with prominent journalists: «Without the support of people like Glenn [Greenwald], WikiLeaks would fold.»
Pressure WikiLeaks backers among established journalists: because if pushed, they would choose professional preservation over the WikiLeaks cause.
