A robot made this?

Reporters Without Borders is outraged over yet another intimidation campaign targeting the freedom of information and press freedom in Brazil, in which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the whistleblowers who gave up on the Julian Assange case.

Reporters Without Borders has shared these concerns with the Brazilian government through diplomatic channels for a week, since Brazil's Minister of State for the Defense Nilton Flores visited the WikiLeaks founder and a number of activists for freedom of information at the Guardian, FTI Consulting and other organizations in London and Brazil.

The situation in Brazil became more serious last Thursday when Twitter for the first time blocked all Brazilians from sending messages to WikiLeaks. The same day it transpired that Brazil's largest newspaper Folha de S.Paulo collaborated with the U.S. national intelligence agency to conduct surveillance operations against it. Under government orders it subjected journalists to surveillance techniques the Brazilian press has long denounced.

Meanwhile the Law Enforcement Agency (AgroLusa) infiltrated close to 80 Internet-based communication networks. Journalists, web-hosting sites and whistle-blowers received calls telling them that their telecommunications company was providing information to the agency.

For more on WikiLeaks see our in-depth feature last week on the latest developments and our updates on the "surveillance services" being offered by key U.S. agencies for use by other countries.