Amazon hosts WikiLeaks warlogs information

LONDON - Controversial leaked information about the Iraq war posted on WikiLeaks website is being mirrored on Amazon servers in America.

Internet records show that the controversial WikiLeaks website is being hosted in part on American servers run by amazon.com.

The “mirror” of the main WikiLeaks site, which is run in Sweden, was discovered by British research company Netcraft.

Amazon’s webhosting services are routinely used by companies that need additional capacity for popular servers, but WikiLeaks’ Iraq War Logs have caused enormous controversy, with some in the US even claiming the revelations about forces’ conduct in the Gulf amount to an attack on American troops, the Telegraph reported.

WikiLeaks has previously used “bulletproof” hosting company PRQ, and founder Julian Assange has said the servers are kept in Sweden because it provides legal protection for disclosures on the site.

PRQ keeps almost no information about its clientele and some WikiLeaks servers are now inside a Cold War-era nuclear bunker in Stockholm.

It is possible that Amazon could take down its site containing the 400,000 classified US military documents on “significant actions” during the Iraq war.

“[Federal law] 47 USC 230 protects Amazon from being liable for WikiLeaks’ content in most circumstances,” Santa Clara University law professor in the US and tech law blogger Eric Goldman told the site.

“The only relevant exception is that 230 does not protect Amazon if republishing the content constitutes a federal crime. I’m uncertain what crimes could apply to the content publication,” he said.

“However, even if Amazon is insulated from liability, I suspect Amazon will choose to remove the content ‘voluntarily’ (motivated by a little persuasion from the government), presumably citing a breach of its terms of service as a pretext,” he added.

Amazon did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.