Stratfor denounces 'deplorable' breach of privacy

US private intelligence firm Stratfor on Monday denounced the publication of stolen emails by WikiLeaks and said it would not comment on the content of the messages.

WikiLeaks on Monday began publishing more than five million emails that were stolen from the Austin, Texas-based Stratfor by members of the hacker group Anonymous in December.

"This is a deplorable, unfortunate -- and illegal -- breach of privacy," Stratfor said in a statement.

"Some of the emails may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic," the company said. "We will not validate either.

"Nor will we explain the thinking that went into them," Stratfor said. "Having had our property stolen, we will not be victimised twice by submitting to questioning about them.

"As with last year's hack, the release of these emails is a direct attack on Stratfor," the company said. "This is another attempt to silence and intimidate the company, and one we reject.

"Stratfor will not be silenced and will continue to publish the geopolitical analysis our friends and subscribers have come to rely upon."

Stratfor stressed that it is "not a government organisation, nor is it affiliated with any government.

"The emails are private property. Like all private emails, they were written casually, with no expectation anyone other than the sender and recipient would ever see them. They should be read as such," it said.

"Stratfor understands that this hack and the fallout from it, including the disclosures by WikiLeaks, have created serious difficulties for our subscribers, friends and employees," the company said.

"We again apologise for any problems this incident has created, and we deeply appreciate the loyalty that has been shown to Stratfor since last year's hack.

Stratfor said it is "committed to recovering from the hack and rebuilding trust with the public, and will continue to do what we do best: produce and publish industry-leading analysis of international affairs."
According to WikiLeaks, the emails date from July 2004 to December 2011 and reveal Stratfor's links to large corporations, such as Dow Chemical Co. and Lockheed Martin and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency.