Military secrets leak marks a new step for social media

The latest devastating leak of US intelligence, in a chat room of irreverent young misfits, highlights the challenge in guarding documents the US shares with the roughly 3 million people with security clearances nationwide, writes Drew Harwell in Washington.

Drew Harwell

Apr 14, 2023 – 11.42am

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They were the irreverent misfits of a military YouTube creator’s fan forum who regrouped in a chat room known as Thug Shaker Central – named for a meme taken from a gay porn video they often used for shock and laughs.

Now, they are linked to a devastating leak of US intelligence: a set of highly classified documents exposing American espionage and secret assessments of the Ukraine war, some posted months ago in an unmoderated corner of the internet where anyone with an invite could see them.

Washington Post