Bill aimed at WikiLeaks introduced

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A bill aimed at WikiLeaks that would allow U.S. authorities to go after its founder, Julian Assange, has been introduced in the Senate.

The Securing Human Intelligence and Enforcing Lawful Dissemination Act, which has the acronym SHIELD, is sponsored by Sens. Scott Brown, R-Mass., John Ensign, R-Nev., and Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., The Hill reported. They introduced the measure Thursday.

The senators say Assange has endangered the lives of confidential sources providing information to U.S. intelligence agencies.

"Our sources are bravely risking their lives when they stand up against the tyranny of al-Qaida, the Taliban and murderous regimes, and I simply will not stand idly by as they become death targets because of Julian Assange," Ensign said. "Let me be very clear, WikiLeaks is not a whistle-blower Web site and Assange is not a journalist."

The bill would make releasing the identities of informants to U.S. military or intelligence agencies a crime.