For the uninitiated, WikiLeaks is an institution that specializes in the anonymous leaking of information. From their website: “WikiLeaks is a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public.” Having been around since 2007, WikiLeaks has been involved in numerous high-profile leaks such as a supposed Somali assassination attempt, Sara Palin’s Yahoo email contents and most recently the Afghan War Diary.
Based in Sweden, WikiLeaks involves many people from varying countries, and all walks of life. Its spokesman is Julian Paul Assange, a journalist, mathematician and computer scientist who has been involved with the website since its inception in 2007. He’s described himself as the “editor in-chief” of the website, although various other media outlets like to call him the “founder,” which he denies. According to an interview done by Medien-Ökonomie-Blog with Assange, WikiLeaks is run by 5 people and has hundreds of contributors, none of whom are paid. This attempts to ensure that the leaks are done in good-faith, without the seeking of monetary or financial gain.
WikiLeaks has come under its fair share of scrutiny and has been the target of numerous government investigations into the legality of websites such as these, that willfully divulge state secrets or classified military information. Critics of the website often claim that it endangers the lives of citizens and/or military personnel when information such as the Guantánamo Bay procedures or the Baghdad airstrike video is released. However, proponents of the website say that it is necessary and important to have organizations available to aid whistleblowers in exposing corruption and wrongdoing. From Time Magazine: “…if Wikileaks is used with a healthy dose of skepticism, it could become as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act.”
When it comes to the freedom of information, there is no place where it is more free than the internet. With many governments attempting to limit speech on the web, it is important for websites such as WikiLeaks to be able to operate without fear of retaliation or persecution. With governments and corporations behaving in increasingly Orwellian fashion, the people of the world need a way to report what they find in a way that protects them, as well as their friends and family for obvious reasons.
If WikiLeaks can keep its head on straight, it may be able to do some real good for the world.
