Marines are warned not to read leaked 'drone files'

A US Navy Corpsman reads a letter.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Curious Marines, be warned: Reading this could get you in a whole lot of trouble. "The Drone Papers," published on Thursday by The Intercept, contain classified files explaining the ins and outs of how the U.S. drone program is run. Though the information is now easily accessible, it's still technically classified — which means that service members, civilian employees, and government contractors put their security clearance at risk just by taking a peek, the Jacksonville Daily News reports.

"Just like with the 'Wikileaks' disclosures, individuals holding security clearances are technically not supposed to review the materials contained in the drone strike stories published by The Intercept," a national security attorney, Bradley P. Moss, told the Jacksonville Daily News. "The leaked materials are still considered classified and viewing classified documents, to which clearance holders are not authorized access is again, technically speaking, a security violation."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.