The Future of Leaks: What's Next for the Online Library of Hacked Data?

Emma Best and Lorax Horne, members of Distributed Denial of Secrets, explain how the collective handles leaked datasets. Incoming material is checked for public interest and screened for personal information. It is then released as a torrent, published in redacted form, or placed in a restricted section that only vetted researchers can request.

The talk then covers pressures on the project. Donors are wary of leaks, so fundraising is hard, and crowdfunding for individual sources has sometimes fallen short. The speakers described a restricted dataset of about seven terabytes that surfaced on a hacking forum after a phishing attempt that impersonated a journalist. Credential sharing among newsrooms was another risk. Their response includes a physical card for accessing the search tool and reserved downloads, along with verification based on published research. They also announced a subscription fee for commercial requesters seeking exclusive embargoes.

Closing remarks and audience questions covered recruiting people who can teach processing skills and cover more languages, plus the difficulty of keeping tens of terabytes redundant across jurisdictions. Source protection was described as case by case, depending on the leaker's skill and the data. The collective also presented a lifetime achievement award to a whistleblower behind Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks.