The digital archive of a big bank contains many secrets. So when Wiki-Leaks, a whistle-blowing website, promised to publish five gigabytes of files from an unnamed financial institution early next year, bankers everywhere started quaking in their hand-made shoes. And businesses were struck by an alarming thought: even if this threat proves empty, commercial secrets are no longer safe. Smaller leaks are nothing new in the corporate world. WikiLeaks itself has already been the conduit for a few. In September 2009, for instance, it posted a un report showing that Trafigura, a commodities giant, had dumped hazardous waste in Cote d'lvoire. In January 2008 the site released stolen documents from Julius Baer, a Swiss bank, including bank records of about 1,600 clients with accounts at a subsidiary in the Cayman Islands. The bank sued to stop WikiLeaks publishing the documents, but then dropped the suit.
展开▼
