REP. LIEU STATEMENT ON WIKILEAKS ALLEGED RELEASE OF CIA HACKING TOOLS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement in response to reports that WikiLeaks released a trove of documents describing the CIA's hacking tools:

"WikiLeaks' alleged release of thousands of documents describing the CIA's hacking capabilities is of monumental concern. The group claims the CIA managed to bypass encryption on secure messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal and developed code to turn cellphones, computers, and televisions into listening devices. Now WikiLeaks is threatening to release that code to the public. The potential privacy concerns are mind-boggling."

"As a computer science major, I am deeply disturbed by the allegation that the CIA lost its arsenal of hacking tools. The ramifications could be devastating. I am calling for an immediate congressional investigation. We need to know if the CIA lost control of its hacking tools, who may have those tools, and how do we now protect the privacy of Americans."

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