Second Developer Of WikiLeaks-Inspired "SecureDrop" Commits Suicide At 36

A second member of a three-man team who created a secure system for whistleblowers to submit information to news outlets has committed suicide at the age of 36, reports the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Software engineer James Dolan took his own life nearly five years to the day after the death of "SecureDrop" co-creator and Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz.

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James Dolan

Dolan, a former Marine, helped create the system in 2012 along with Swartz and Wired editor Kevin Poulsen - who spearheaded the project first known as "StrongBox" and later "DeadDrop." The trio's secure submission system has been used by The New Yorker, the Washington Post, The New York Times, the Associated Press and Gizmodo - allowing "highly secure communication between journalists and sources in possession of sensitive information or documents," per Gizmodo

Co-creator Kevin Poulsen described Dolan's role in the project’s creation in the New Yorker in 2013:

In New York, a computer-security expert named James Dolan persuaded a trio of his industry colleagues to meet with Aaron to review the architecture and, later, the code. We wanted to be reasonably confident that the system wouldn’t be compromised, and that sources would be able to submit documents anonymously—so that even the media outlets receiving the materials wouldn’t be able to tell the government where they came from. James wrote an obsessively detailed step-by-step security guide for organizations implementing the code. “He goes a little overboard,” Aaron said in an e-mail, “but maybe that’s not a bad thing.”

Co-creator Aaron Swartz committed suicide on January 11, 2013 at the age of 26. Swartz left no suicide note in his New York apartment, however some have noted that he was depressed and was facing jail time under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for hacking into MIT's computer network and stealing copies of 4.8 million academic papers

Swartz's father believes the government "indirectly killed" Swartz, while his girlfriend at the time, Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman think Swartz was driven to suicide by a two-year prosecution over the MIT hacking case which had "drained all of his financial resources"  - despite not fitting any of the signs of clinical depression and associated disorders.

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Aaron Swartz

After Swartz's death, co-creator Kevin Poulsen donated the SecureDrop project to the Freedome of the Press Foundation, while James Dolan was "literally the only person in the world who knew all the ins and outs of the system, how to install it, and how to make it better" according to the FPF. 

He had a high-paying computer security job at a large company by then, but I asked him if he’d be willing to come work for us so we could try to get SecureDrop into more newsrooms. We had hardly any money at the time, yet he immediately agreed—even though it meant taking an 80% pay cut. (Later, he would even refuse to accept a raise, insisting that we use any new funding to hire additional people to work on the project instead.)

In a tribute post, the Freedom of the Press Foundation said that Dolan had "long suffered from PTSD from his time serving in the Marines during the Iraq war," adding "It was an experience that affected him in multiple ways. He often cited the Iraq War as his inspiration for wanting to help journalists and whistleblowers; it made him realize governments needed to be much more transparent and accountable."

Dolan's friends and supporters were heartbroken over Twitter:

Timm, FPF's Executive Director, wrote “It is impossible to overstate how fundamentally important James Dolan was to the development of both Freedom of the Press Foundation and SecureDrop.”

Comments

hedgeless_horseman YUNOSELL Jan 10, 2018 1:05 PM Permalink

 

Dolan had "long suffered from PTSD from his time serving in the Marines during the Iraq war," adding "It was an experience that affected him in multiple ways. He often cited the Iraq War as his inspiration for wanting to help journalists and whistleblowers; it made him realize governments needed to be much more transparent and accountable."

A real American hero, like Seth Rich, Edward Snowden, and Chelsea Manning.  

 

 

In reply to by YUNOSELL

Wannabe_Oracle hedgeless_horseman Jan 10, 2018 1:32 PM Permalink

Exactly.

I imagine some folks in suits with government identification payed a visit to the Rich family. Huge dollars and national security were discussed -- how else do you quell a parents grief. I conclude that these evil people will never see the inside of a prison cell - it's just the way it is. But I can hold strong that one day judgement will be passed.

./ it out.

In reply to by hedgeless_horseman

Planet ZOG HoPewGassed Jan 10, 2018 1:30 PM Permalink

Ditto placing Seth Rich on some kind of pedestal. We still have no real idea what his "hero" role was except that he might have been an email leaker.  He was in charge of "voter enlargement" which is code for voter fraud, and he had served in Israel in the IDF and loved mocking goyim on July 4th.  And he was a flaming democrat jew.

In reply to by HoPewGassed

Endgame Napoleon hedgeless_horseman Jan 10, 2018 1:34 PM Permalink

I am not sure that Manning belongs in this group. From what I have read, s/he was careless in leaking the information, putting troops in danger. Troops are just young guys — some of whom are excellent human beings, like Dolan — so careless leaking is irresponsible. What Snowden did was handled much differently. It sounds like Dolan was, likewise, a careful person, as well as brilliant. What a loss to society. The Schwartz story is one of the saddest around and a constant reminder that we need a check on power. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

In reply to by hedgeless_horseman

Yog Soggoth YUNOSELL Jan 10, 2018 1:59 PM Permalink

Arron Shwartz was killed because he knew about the satanic pedo ring operation out of MIT. He never tried to steal answers to quizzes. This guy probably knew everything that Swartz did before he was killed. Maybe he was looking into some things before they killed him, or they just saw him as a future threat, maybe as a witness in court.

In reply to by YUNOSELL

Chupacabra-322 Bigly Jan 10, 2018 1:20 PM Permalink

@ Bigly,

You’re not wrong.  It appears the pardoning of Julian has some at the Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopath Deeps State CIA / Mossad very Nervous. 

 

Next is Desperation.  Followed by recklessness & ultimate demise.  

 

Ground Zero here is Langly.  

 

Tick ce tock Mother Fuckers, your day of reckoning is fast approaching you.  There’s absolutely NO SAFE QUARTER from Absolute Total Complete Elimination.

 

Who are the ones Nervous & Afraid now?

In reply to by Bigly

peddling-fiction DuneCreature Jan 10, 2018 1:38 PM Permalink

"(((They))) have a beautiful (/sarc) little system that never leaves a trail back to (((them))) of talking good people into killing themselves."

Yes they do. They tried it on me, but were not successful.

Yes, technology is used and non-consensual pharma. High tech stuff, but this is not only tech.

This is dark "stuff" that has been amongst us for a long time.

I saved myself by committing myself spiritually to God.

Otherwise I would not have made it.

Only the old school path towards sainthood will save you; not too popular, I know. Is it worth it? Yep

But death is not to be feared nor sought.

No fear folks.

In reply to by DuneCreature

DuneCreature peddling-fiction Jan 10, 2018 1:53 PM Permalink

I agree, there are high tech ELF techniques to really drag down one's psyche. .... They can do that to entire cities full of people. .. I know because I was involved in a project (contract) to do just that (Well, not with ELF microwave tech but through your boob tube tube). ... I'm sure with a directed op against an individual and today's EM gear they can probably achieve a very high success rate too.

There are low tech ways (((they))) use that are just as effective. ..... If you have family and friends (((they))) pretty well own the playing field.

Live Hard, Glad You And Yours Made It Pass The Assassin's Blade, pf, Die Free

~ DC v8.4

In reply to by peddling-fiction

peddling-fiction Dukes Jan 10, 2018 2:13 PM Permalink

Sure Dukes. Like DC said, they use microwave technology to mess with you in many different ways. ELF frequencies are used, since they are bioreactive, but they use a combination of two 400-3000Mhz waves to produce an ELF effect on you (500-489=11Hz for example). All your bodily functions can be stimulated or stopped (yep, your heart) with these frequencies. Extreme fear, anger, sadness, depression are at a flip of a switch. Your cerebellum and occipital regions are beamed with synthetic dreams, thoughts, or noise, and they can easily beam audio at you with V2K microwave technologies. You will be sleep deprived mercilessly with microwave "caffeine" to make you suggestible and close to psychosis. In a few minutes, I will post more.

In reply to by Dukes

Donate Moar LawsofPhysics Jan 10, 2018 1:45 PM Permalink

Not to defend VerumCuiBono, but written sarcastic statements are very difficult to discern and at a glance easily "read" as a strong opinion.  VCB will eventually learn your method of posting, but meanwhile, I give those that are new to the style a grace period before slamming their heads into the pavement.

Excessive use of sarcasm ultimately destroys the message and alienates those are entering the arena of ideas.

Flame on!

 

In reply to by LawsofPhysics