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On 13 April, a helicopter hovered over an unassuming house in the tiny town of Dighton, MassachusettsA state in the northeast USA. . The world was on tenterhooks as it waited for its first sight of the man accused of one of the biggest leaks of classified documents in recent history.

Who would come out? A spy? A hacker? A whistleblowerSomeone who exposes secretive behaviour by a group or organisation; once used to describe police who blew whistles to signal the scene of a crime.? None of the above. The person the FBIThe Federal Bureau of Investigation, which investigates crimes on a national level in the USA. led out of the house was a scrawny 21-year-old gamer.

Jack Teixeira is now awaiting trial for one of the strangest cases of espionageSpying. in history. What is unusual about the leak is that it allegedly took place on one of the world's most popular chat sites, Discord.

Discord started as a space for online gamers to discuss strategy. To make sure others cannot eavesdrop on these discussions, the site is organised into separate servers that cannot interact with each other or even be found by non-members.

Teixeira, an airman with the Massachusetts Air National Guard¹, is thought to have posted more than 300 documents in a small server that he ran, called Thug Shaker Central, as early as January this year. They stayed there for months until a teenage user shared some of them to a larger server.

Around 10 of those documents then made their way onto a MinecraftA 3D computer game in which players can build worlds using building blocks. It has been described as like "an online LEGO". discussion server in March. A month later, three were posted into the notorious ChanA website on which users can anonymously post images and messages, and the subject of several controversies. imageboard, and then on to TelegramToday: an encrypted instant messaging app. In the past: a message sent via electric wires and delivered as a printed piece of paper. As every word was expensive, making the message as short as possible became an art. A famous joke telegram sent from Venice read, "STREETS FULL OF WATER PLEASE ADVISE".. It was only when they started emerging on Twitter that the US government finally realised what had happened.

There has been a great deal of speculation about Teixeira's possible motives. Some think he is a White nationalistSomeone who thinks that White people have their own national identity and should have the most power, authority and rights in a country. who was hoping to embarrass the Biden administration. Others believe he was just trying to impress his friends.

Whatever his motives might have been, some are convinced Teixeira has done the US public a service.

They say leaks like these are the only way the people can find out what is going on in the heart of government. Thanks to this leak, we now know NatoThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members. special forcesElite units within a military that often take part in counterterrorism or other specialised operations. are operating in Ukraine. We know the USA is spying on Volodymyr Zelensky's phone calls. The people, they insist, have the right to know about these things.

Others are less certain. The problem, they say, is that classified files are rarely revealed for purely noble reasons. They are often just another form of manipulation.

For example, the website WikiLeaksA whistleblowing platform founded by Julian Assange. It has published news leaks and classified documents obtained by anonymous individuals. , which frequently publishes classified material, has been accused of curating the information it reveals to promote conspiracy theories and advance the interests of authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. governments.

And they fear the most recent leak might have damaged Ukraine's military position, possibly giving Russia the upper hand in the war.

Many experts, however, say the real problem is that too much information is classified. Since 9/11, the US government has become much more secretive. It now classifies around 50 million documents every year.²

They warn too much information is being kept secret, not because it is vital for national security, but because it would embarrass officials or open up unwanted scrutiny.

Yes: There are good reasons to keep some information secret. This leak might set back the Ukrainian war effort and strengthen the Russians. Governments should be held to account, but through the proper channels.

No: All governments hate scrutiny. If they are given the chance, they will always choose secrecy over transparency. Leaks are the only way of holding them to account.

Or... Some files really should be kept classified, but the USA is seeking to keep as much information secret as possible. This damages public trust in government and makes leaks more likely.

Massachusetts - A state in the northeast USA.

Whistleblower - Someone who exposes secretive behaviour by a group or organisation; once used to describe police who blew whistles to signal the scene of a crime.

FBI - The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which investigates crimes on a national level in the USA.

Espionage - Spying.

Minecraft - A 3D computer game in which players can build worlds using building blocks. It has been described as like "an online LEGO".

4chan - A website on which users can anonymously post images and messages, and the subject of several controversies.

Telegram - Today: an encrypted instant messaging app. In the past: a message sent via electric wires and delivered as a printed piece of paper. As every word was expensive, making the message as short as possible became an art. A famous joke telegram sent from Venice read, "STREETS FULL OF WATER PLEASE ADVISE".

White nationalist - Someone who thinks that White people have their own national identity and should have the most power, authority and rights in a country.

Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.

Special forces - Elite units within a military that often take part in counterterrorism or other specialised operations.

WikiLeaks - A whistleblowing platform founded by Julian Assange. It has published news leaks and classified documents obtained by anonymous individuals.

Authoritarian - Enforcing strict obedience to authority.